Wanting Something

To celebrate Jaycee making it through the hospital, we got out of the house last week for some shopping. It wasn't my husband's definition of relaxation and fun but he went along. We found ourselves at the toy store and told the children they could each get a toy. As soon as Elijah found out the store had Thomas the train items, he was elated. He likes loves Thomas the train. He's borderline obsessed with it. It doesn't matter if it's soap, toothpaste, socks, or a book--if Thomas is on it, Elijah wants it. Here, you get the idea:

At the store, Elijah had to figure out which toy he wanted. He was so excited at the enormous amount of train items he hasn't collected yet. He ended up with the a signal for his wooden track. 

Taking Jaycee to a toy store is a different story. The only thing Jaycee ever wants from a store is a movie. She's six years old, but she doesn't really have an interest in any kind of a toy. She's been that way for a long time. I have spent lots of money over the years trying to find a toy that she would love and play with on her own. If I sit and play with her, she'll play with different toys. If I leave her alone in a room full of toys, she basically scatters them or sits and stares at the wall.

I know it's hard to believe but it's true. I have thought about why she is like this many times. Theory number 1: She started receiving weekly therapy at just 2 months old. Jaycee got use to having people lead her through activities at an early age and became dependant on that.  Theory number 2: Jaycee's fine motor skills are very poor. Any toy that requires using the hands like puzzles, coloring, blocks are all difficult for her. I once got her an adorable baby doll but she got frustrated when she couldn't get the baby bottle in the doll's tiny mouth. Fine motor skills are used everywhere. You just don't realize it until you have a child with fine motor issues.

So, taking Jaycee to a toy store usually results in nothing. I will show her toys and she usually swats them away. Sometimes, she will choose a toy but then throw it on the floor which tells me she doesn't like it. A few times, a selection has made it all the way to the shopping cart only for her to throw it out. Jaycee isn't the typical child. She doesn't want anything really. Elijah is the opposite. He sees things he likes and wants them!

At the store, I went straight to one of her favorite characters, Olivia, a pig in a cartoon she watches. I showed her several Olivia items including a 3 foot tall stuffed Olivia. She got a smile on her face. She checked out the toys but vetoed the giant Olivia. She finally selected two small stuffed Olivias. She picked them up and sat in her stroller. She held the "babies" all during Elijah's long selection process. I waited for her to chuck them at any moment but she didn't. She held them in the van too. She wanted to take them into the next store we went in. It was great to see her actually want something. Elijah does this all the time but not Jaycee. This is the kind of thing we enjoy seeing her do because it doesn't happen often.

Has she continued to play with her babies? A little bit but a little bit is more than she usually does. It's great! Here she is with her babies: