We were at the new park that has opened on the way to Safta’s flat. We played basketball there a few days ago and you climbed up to slam dunk from above. I thought nothing could make a dad happier than when I put the ball in your hand and you dunked and grabbed onto the ring, hanging like a little Michael Jordan. When we went back today a man was walking his dogs with his son. I asked you, like I always ask you, to look at the dogs. You did, so I asked you how many dogs there were. Two dogs. Just like that. And you looked at me with such a grin. There were two dogs. Little steps.We’d just been to the Post Office to pick up a parcel. Your favourite TV show on DVD, sent by Nanny to you could watch Titch do all his cheeky things in English. The best bit about it is that I can watch Titch and know why you are laughing too.
I went online earlier and bought the same book as Mummy is reading, Engaging Autism by Stanley Greenspan. I picked up two more, and I’m sending them via Nanny so she can read them too. She is so worried, I know she is. I remember the wars she fought for me, every battle to the death. And she’d do the same for you, except she can’t. But she'll do everything she can, she loves you more than you can ever imagine. And when you saw her in December, late at night, after a five-hour flight, you covered your eyes with your hands and peeked through your fingers to see if she was really there. And when she went to work in the morning, you ran around the house calling her, asking me where she had gone and crying if she didn't say goodbye properly. And you blow kisses down the phone when you hear her voice. You're two and three quarters. How else is a little boy supposed to show his nanny he loves her.
I ordered another couple of books too. One called When Babies Read on hyperlexia by Peter Jensen and Audra Jensen. I don't think it is entirely regular that little boys of 15 months can count to 2, and understand that when you take a biscuit, one is one, and the second is two. I don't think it is regular that at 18 months you said "ba, too, na"'..."one, two, three", that you could count to five at 20 months and then one day just sprang 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 on us as you were climbing up a ladder in the playground. Then you counted to twenty, and then thirty, then to whatever you liked. You said "twenteen", and for a while 21 was twelve, but I just thought that was cute. You thought for a bit 90 came after 59, but then one day you wanted me to go through the channels on the TV, and every time we went up on you asked for the next number. You got bored after 100 and something. You were about two and a half. Apparently, you were perfectly able to do that in Hebrew, you knew we worked on base 10. You said 10, 20, 30, 40 all the way to 100 at two and a half, you could count in even numbers, odd numbers. Someone is going take that one day and give you a very important job. And then of course, you sort of taught yourself to read at two and a half. We flicked the channels looking for something for you to watch on TV. We went to BBC Prime but there was no picture - the signal must have been down. The banner telling us what was on was there though. "06:30 Big Cook, Little Cook". No picture. Just the words. And you said "cook". I'd suspected as much for days, I read you your Thomas book, and you pointed to words on the page, always the right word, you pointed to bridge and said "bridge", you pointed to Thomas and "Thomas". You smart little thing. You know the difference between Annie and Clarabel even though I still don't.
I also ordered the book that Dr Pozner recommended by Stanley Greenspan, Serena Wieder and Robin Simons, The Child With Special Needs. Mummy couldn't find it in Hebrew when we looked, but we'll find it by the time it arrived. It is a little scary for me to be stuck in a place where everything is in a language that you speak better than me. They'll come through in a week or so, and I'll be able to start working. We're going to be busy, me and you.
After the playground we went and picked up Mummy and came back. You couldn't get your Titch DVD quick enough, you went straight over to the TV and tried to put it in the DVD player, even though there was a Thomas DVD there already.
You sat like a little angel at the Dora table that Benny left behind when he left Israel with the future love of your life, Michelle. And you sat and watched, glued to the screen. You looked over every few minutes and just said "happy, happy" or grinned that magic little scrunched up grin you have. And just for once you didn't need to say "more Titch", because there was more Titch every time. 
I sent Nanny an sms or two to keep her posted on the new present. I told her how you said "matanot, matanot" when the postman gave you the parcel, and how I helped you get through the package to the present inside. I told her you opened it straight away, took the DVD out and told me to play it in the middle of the Parcel Office. The package had Ben Harrison on it. You have your own mail now, you're getting such a big boy.Then after 3 episodes you said "more Titch". You ran around shouting "remote" and you brought me the red one for the cable. I told you this was a special Titch, and we needed the black one for the DVD and you went and got it. Surprisingly first time! I realised you didn't want more Titch, you wanted me to put "The Camp Fire" on again, the one where Peter and Mary, or Yoni and Tali as you always call them, don't want to play cowboys with Titch, and Saba comes over to trim the hedge. Titch helps him like you always try and help me when I do DIY. Then like all Grandads, he takes Titch off to build a bonfire with the clippings and they have sausages on the camp fire. I'm going to get you a little cowboy hat for you to wear I think. Nanny loved hearing all the little stories about how you are growing up into a great little boy. She's not having this for a second.
No comments:
Post a Comment