Friday, May 27, 2011

Word has gotten around that my kids have brains worth studying, I guess.

Boston Children's Hospital called and asked if Nathan and Mary could be a part of their study, too.  (This one in reading and music.  MIT's was an autism study.)  They were able to work them in on Monday, so we headed to work with Daddy in Waltham.  Nathan and Mary were "studied," adding to the research that will be presented next week in Scotland.  Cool, huh?  The kids had a great time, but I think they may have driven the researchers crazy with their comparisons to the MIT study earlier this month.  When we left they kept thanking us for coming, for participating, and again for coming.  "We can't thank you enough!" they kept saying.  Sure, no problem.  This time the kids were "paid" in Barnes and Nobel gift cards.  They are giddy with all their "money."

What is this teaching them?  I'm not sure the satisfaction of helping spread knowledge is really their motivation.  (Nathan's first--and only--question before the MIT study was, "Mom says we're getting paid with an Amazon gift card....?")

They want Charlie for a language development study next month, but we aren't sure about that.  Babies and MRI's...  Safe, I know, but still.  I may though, b/c part of the research is hoping to prove that there are ways use an MRI with a baby without having to sedate them.  I resent the unnecessary drugging of babies, so it would be nice to help prove it is possible.

They also want Joseph for a reading development study.  It's a 4 year commitment and he is totally excited to be a part of it.  Actually, I think he just wants to get his own prize and go in the "spaceship" like the other two.  He's a little put out that he has to wait until October for the study to start.  He has to know his letters and a couple of sight words first, too.  When he was told this, he immediately sat down and wrote his name.  Then he asked about other letters.  I started with A and he wrote it a few times and spent the rest of the day saying, "A says aah.  What else?"  Now he is up to "B says buh." 

 He thinks 26 is too many.  I told him I can't help him there.

Now...

This is why we have flies in the house.



And  a live action shot:


But that's okay, we're just glad the rain stopped and we can have the door open again and let in the sunlight.  I must say, though, it would have been nice to have spring.  We seem to have gone straight from winter to summer.  Maybe the rain was spring.  hmmmm...

This weekend we are hoping to get our garden in.  We planted all those little starts a few weeks ago, but when they were put outside, they all drowned.  Some of the sunflowers are making a valiant struggle for life, so they may make it.  Not a problem, we didn't plant anything in years past  until Memorial Weekend, so I'm not worried.  We are going to replant after we get some compost and after we get the front driveway garden cleared away and a trellis (of sorts) put up.  I love gardening.  Planning, digging, waiting, watching, not so much the weeding, but definitely the payoff--especially the flowers.

Which for some reason reminds me... Today we went to the Museum of Science and I was finally able to see a chick hatch!  It was so cool!  Birth is awesome.  I love it.  Baby people, puppies, chicks, it doesn't matter.  I love birth.

(No, I'm not pregnant.)

1 comment:

Becca said...

He's so adorable!

I want to see a chick hatch! I'd love to see a birth for that matter, too. One where I'm not the one giving birth.