Today I took Wes to Walmart. A few minutes into our browsing we passed a Walmart associate who said, “Oh! What a doll!” (She meant Wes.)

I smiled thanks and we kept on going. Not a minute later we passed another associate who looked at Wes and said, “LOOK at that cutie!”

So two people said something nice about Wes. Not totally unusual. Then we hit the produce section and a young lady looked at Wes and said, “He is so cute. Just adorable.”

And then I started wondering why he was raking in the compliments. Was it his haircut? I just trimmed his hair on Sunday but believe me, it’s not a good cut. At least it’s shorter, and that’s all that counts. In fact when I took him to playgroup on Tuesday a couple of people remarked about his haircut and said, “He looks like such a little boy!” (which is code for, “His haircut is crooked!”).

Um, yeah. Here’s the proof.

So just as I was thinking about this, while still in the produce section, a fourth person–a guy this time–comes whooshing by, obviously on his way to the checkstand. “You have a beautiful boy there. I hope you know that.” I stuttered out “thanks” as he waved and wished us a happy holiday.

We continued our shopping. I still didn’t know what brought on the attention. Especially considering it was 8 a.m.–not really Walmart’s busiest time. Wes probably received compliments from about 5% of the Walmart population.

As we passed the frozen food aisle on our way to the checkstand to pay, we were stopped by an entire family: a grandpa wearing a BYU hat, his daughter, and her three daughters. They wanted to visit with Wes.

I got Wes to wave hello, and they asked how he’s doing. Not really sure what they wanted to know, I told them that he’s doing great–walking, running, into everything. Then the mom told me that she has two siblings with Down syndrome. Both were adopted and are now in their late twenties.

We made small talk for a minute, and then the grandpa looked me in the eye and said, “You have a very special boy here. I hope you know that.”

I think I do. But if I forget, I get occasional reminders.

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.