Alex Update

One of Alex's vocabulary words is literacy. We went over them last night and this morning we were doing a verbal review. I asked him what literacy meant:

To put litter on ground?

Then we went over spelling words. Easier compound words than last weeks. One was seashell. I try to make sure he knows the meaning of these words as well so I asked if he knew what a seashell was?
Yes, a thing in a thing.
I asked him if he asks me what something is and I tell him a thing in a thing would he know what I was talking about? "No!" and he laughed.  He tries so hard and he does so well and I think he understands so much yet when you ask him what an eyelid is he'll say something like. "A thing people stand on?" Oh. I hope not!
He was telling me last week during our huge "talk about your feelings" talk that he NEVER talked to his Ukraine mom. That he didn't know how to talk until he went in the orphanage and learned his ABC's. Could that be possible? He was six when he went to the orphanage. Was he non-verbal all that time? (This came up because I was trying to understand his aversion and apprehension to talking about his feelings and telling the truth about how he feels. When ever he's upset and I ask, he gives me some crazy non emotional excuse about something that has NOTHING to do with what he's upset about. I was guessing, and asking if I was correct, that no one in the orphanage cared about how he felt?  No one wanted to know or asked about his feelings? He agreed. Then I asked about his Ukraine mom, that maybe she didn't ask about his feelings either? "No, I never talk to Ukraine mom. I no know how to talk until I go to orphanage and learn ABC's.") He was in a school for speech disorders. All this time I've been told he has difficulty making a certain sound that we don't use in the English language. He's in speech right now for his  S sound. (His S's go out the side of his mouth rather than the front.) But maybe he was verbally delayed? I wonder if any of his Ukraine medical records or school reports indicate anything about this. I think I need to find a translator.
Although not his vocabulary word this week, I've been teaching Alex the word "obsessive" as he is obsessive. Last week it was the piano. Hours on the piano. Same song over and over. This weekend it was the Nerf gun. Hours and hours building, rebuilding, reconfiguring. Every waking minute.Couldn't hardly pull himself away to eat or do anything else. This week it's "Tom & Jerry" cartoons on the computer. He got up early to watch them and was dismayed to learn that I don't go for cartoons before school. If you're up early than get started early on jobs or reading. Or stay in bed and get your sleep! Good grief.
Yesterday after all his homework was done he went straight to the computer. Spent all his play time watching "Tom & Jerry". Now if  Tom or Jerry SPOKE ENGLISH I wouldn't care so much because perhaps he'd pick up a word or two. But they don't. They just run around trying to kill each other. So, this morning we talked about obsession and his obsession to do ONE thing for days at a time and then move to the next thing. We came to the conclusion that since he cannot monitor himself and I am going crazy trying to monitor him that he has a one hour limit for EVERYTHING! I know that sounds harsh but since I've NEVER seen him play with a friend for more than an hour I think it's a good rule of thumb. And hopefully will eliminate me always nagging at him to go find something else to do.
The friend thing is an issue. I think his novelty has worn off. We have many boys his age in our neighborhood that use to come play but not anymore. It might have to do with Alex's competitive nature and need to always win and be the best. I talked with him about this but he's just not getting it. He has one friend across the street that he'll go find to play with but I don't think it's very fun to play with Alex when he insists on kicking the soccer ball above the other boys head, as far as he can in an effort to show off, making the other boy chase it down the road. How to you teach a child to be a friend? To play nice? To let others win sometimes?
As you all know. Alex is very loving and sentimental about having a mom but he's been sort of indifferent about having a dad. James mentioned to him a few weeks ago that Alex never mentions wanting to have a dad. Alex pretty much shrugged like, "Yeah, never really thought about having a dad." I suggested that maybe Alex had always wanted a mom but getting a dad was an extra bonus? He nodded. Alex does write about James in his journal all the time but mostly things like "My dad left for work." or "My dad gets home Wednesday." or just a statement about what his Dad is doing, "My dad is playing guitar.". However, he ALWAYS prays for James when he's at work to "be safe and warm"-even in the dead of summer!  But two days ago he mentioned his Dad in the gratitude part of his journal: 
"I am grateful that I have a dad because he keeps our home safe."
So there you go James. He IS grateful for you!
Then there was yesterdays entry-exactly how he wrote it (which is pretty dang good if you ask me):
I am grateful that I have a mom that cooks because if she did not cook we would have to eat restorant food all the time."
Really? If I stopped cooking we could eat out every night.....why didn't someone tell ME this??
(Teeheehee!)