So I already mentioned how Wesley has learned to say his first word that starts with a consonant sound: “NO!”

We’re really thrilled.

Recently he’s picked up an additional skill: saying “No!” while shaking his finger, just like we do when we’re disciplining him. It kind of shows us how smart he is, because he only does it when he gets in the vicinity of something he KNOWS we don’t like him messing with. And then it’s like he’s telling himself, “No, no, no!”

Like in the video below. We always tell him (about 1000 times a day, it feels like) not to play with the alarm clock, the phone, the lamp, etc., on the shelf next to our bed. By the time I grabbed the camera he had already knocked down the alarm clock.

Wes is two now. He doesn’t talk much but he’s gradually picking up more signs. Sometimes he surprises us with what he knows. The other day he picked up a leaf that had fallen off a houseplant and automatically started signing “Tree.”

In this video he signs Tree (turn hand side to side) and Wind (move arms back and forth, like the wind).

In this video he’s signing Dog (slap leg), Cat (shows the whiskers), Sheep (move scissor-like fingers up the arm, like you’re shearing), Horse (two fingers on top of the head like ears), and Pig (hand under the chin, fingers wiggling). In the middle of the video, as I’m trying to get him to sign Sheep, he may also be signing Grass (hand under the chin like you’re smelling the grass). I didn’t ask him to sign it, but he was watching Signing Time, and Grass was the sign being shown on TV.

And for better or worse he’s starting to make sounds that resemble words, including “No!” In this video he signs Me (touch chest), More (put both hands together), and Milk (squeeze fingers together). He also says “No” and signs/says “Head.”

Wesley is speech-delayed, of course, but he does make a lot of noise. Sometimes the sounds he makes even resemble words. Like “at” for “cat,” “at” for “light, “at” for pretty much anything, really.

Just today we’re noticing his first sound resembling a word that actually has a consonant sound at the beginning:

“NO!”

It’s progress, so we’ll take it.

I helped organize a Zumba Halloween party that raised money for the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation. The party was on October 29th. The first hour was all Zumba (in 20-minute segments taught by three different instructors), then we broke for a dance performance by P.A.L.S. (a dance troupe of young adults with Down syndrome). Following that, I taught my 20-minute segment, we drew some names for prizes, and then we did 20 minutes all-request Zumba.

Around 75-100 people came, many in costume. In spite of the heater not working and it being about 40 degrees outside, the event was a success. For a first-time effort at organizing a fundraiser, it turned out well. And I learned a lot. One thing I’ll do differently next time is not agree to teach three back-to-back Zumba classes the same day as the event, because by the time it was my turn to teach my body was like, “Three hours of exercise is enough. I quit.” It was fun anyway, but I was tired.

I just got back pictures from the event taken by our talented photographer, Tabitha Davidson (check out her photography Web site).

Observe:

We held it at The Apollo in American Fork. The lighting was cool.

Desree taught the first segment, and we had a surprise visit from Michael Jackson!

Then Jessica taught.

And Laura. I didn’t even recognize her when I arrived. Nice wig, Laura!

(By the way, these three ladies are GREAT Zumba instructors.)

I was supposed to be a schoolgirl.

The last song I taught was a booty battle. My classes love booty battles. We divide the room in half and face off. One side does a move, then the other side does the same move, trying to best them. There is much booty shaking and smack talking.

Wes was Superman.

We’ve been busy, running around everywhere. Or at least Wes has:

He learned this game from nursery at church. At the end of class when they’re waiting for parents to come they line the kids up against a wall and have them run back and forth. I remember when Wes started nursery at 18 months old. He had only been walking for a month or two then, and he was small and still didn’t have any teeth, so the teachers would hold him while the other kids ran. It’s been eight months since he started nursery, and now he knows how the game works and can run as good (but maybe not as fast) as the rest of the kids.

Sometimes I look at him and still see a baby. And then other times, increasingly often, I look at him see an ACTIVE two-year-old! He loves to run and climb everything he can. Lately we’ve seen him stepping on the handles of the drawers in the kitchen to hull himself up so he can peek over the top of the counter.

He’s got four molars and four front teeth (the two on top and two on bottom). He’s starting to get the teeth that go in between the front teeth and molars. Basically he’s been teething since last April. He won’t chew on anything except his hands, so his fingers are fat with calluses. I’m super happy he has molars: Now I can give him the ENTIRE piece of toast (crust and all) because he can chew it.

He’s a picky eater, though. There are a few never-fail foods: instant oatmeal (maple and brown sugar ONLY), pretzel sticks, and milk. Yeah, that’s the whole list. Other foods he’ll eat sometimes, when he feels like it: buttered toast, apple sauce, pureed fruits and vegetables (nothing with chunks or he’ll spit it out), ice cream, yogurt, M&Ms, fudge-striped shortbread cookies. I think that’s it. My mom says I was a picky eater, but I’m pretty sure I ate more than oatmeal, pretzel sticks, and milk on a regular basis.

Today I took Wes to the county health building to get vaccinated for the H1N1 virus. People with Down syndrome have extra narrow nasal passages (and often weakened immune systems) so if he gets the flu and congestion it could be bad.

I took Wes close to his nap time, but I hoped we’d be in and out. That was before I saw the line that spilled out of the building, snaked through the parking ramp, and ended on the sidewalk outside.

That’s when I realized Wes wasn’t wearing shoes and I’d have to carry him.

Wes and I took our places and stood. And shuffled. And stood. And shuffled. And made small talk with the couple behind us. And stood more. And filled out paperwork with Wes in one arm and a clipboard in the other. And shuffled and stood. And played peek-a-boo. And stood some more. For over an hour and a half.

I wish I had a camera to snap a photo of the line winding through the parking ramp–more kids and crying babies and pregnant ladies than you normally see together, unless you’re at Disneyland, mashed together in a dim, gray concrete box. Then again, I probably won’t mind forgetting that image.

By the time we made it out of the parking ramp into the sunlight again my arm felt like it was going to fall off.

Then we were in the building, which was a huge relief. Until we turned the corner and entered The Longest Hallway in the World that held the Longest Line in the World.

Finally, finally, finally, we got our shots. I’m not sure I’ve ever been able to say I was happy to get a shot, but it sure was nice to be done at last.

Oh, and the best part? I get to take him back in four weeks for a booster.