Family Dinner Night

Ever since we got the FX diagnosis, I have read everything I can get my hands on about the syndrome. Overall, it seems that most of these kids get easily overwhelmed in new situations, and busy places. Restaurants can be a prime place for a meltdown. Thankfully, sweet Iann rarely gets overwhelmed like this. His desire to get down from the table is quite typical for a two year old.

Every Sunday night Jon, Brynn, Iann and I eat dinner with my parents. For many months we have eaten at a Mexican restaurant called Amelia's. They have a big outside porch that we always have the corner table of during the summer, and once the boys are done eating we let them down to explore. In the winter they give us a similar type of table - in the corner - and they know us well enough that we don't worry too much if Iann has to get down to move around. Unfortunately, Amelia's has decided to close on Sunday's until the weather warms up again, I guess our business wasn't enough!

So, we are trying to find another favorite place to go. Last week we tried a different Mexican restaurant, but it just wasn't the same. Tonight we decided to go to Garlic Mike's. I really like their mushroom soup, and mum said no to Pahgre's. Jon and I arrived about 5 mins before my parents, and in that short amount of time, Iann had pulled the paper covering off the table cloth, thrown a knife on the floor and knocked over a glass of water. Amazingly, Brynn was super well behaved all evening. By the time my parents arrived, Jon was ready to pack it in and go home.

I guess I hadn't thought about the other restaurant patrons. All middle-aged couples out for a nice evening meal - not another kid in sight. Opps! Thankfully, Iann is fascinated with my dad these days, and as soon as they arrived he started pointing at dad and babbling. And laughing. And squealing. And babbling more, and more, and more. He was babbling consonants that I haven't heard for months.

His new speech therapist told me the other day that our goal is to get my almost silent boy babbling so much that I wish he would be quiet.We were nearly there this evening. If was so very wonderful to hear, however there was a part of me that wishes he had chosen a more kid-friendly venue in which to be so loud and vocal!