What Time Is It?

The answer to this question has a story.

My child, Matthew, has complete Agenesis of the
Corpus Callosum. He is 17 years old but he
functions on the level of a young child.

Teaching different animals and their sounds is
fun for all kids.

Quick example: I will say:

"Matthew, what is this?"

*shows him a Pig*



He will use sign language and sign "pig".

Then I will say:

"What does a pig say?"

When you ask a child what sound does a pig make, they
can typically tell you "oink oink." But Matthew cannot
SAY it so we worked instead

(for a lonnnnnnnnnng time)

helping Matthew learn how to make the SOUND a pig
makes....*snorrrrt*

It was very difficult for him to learn.

After a VERY long time Matthew learned how to make ONE
"snort".

It was a BIG event the first time that I heard him make
the sound. But the only time he could snort was laying
down on his back. If he would sit up, no more snort to
be heard.

After A LOT more practice and a long time, he mastered the
skill of making one single snort sound while sitting up!
It was a celebration!! Mama & Matthew piggy snorts filled
the room, accompanied with laughter.

There's no other way to say this except to just say it.
Matthew's Mama *points to self* is a goof. Matthew and I
are both silly and we laugh a lot.

I often make little piggy snort sounds for Matthew and
give piggy snort kisses. He can make one piggy snort back.
I wanted to help him learn to make several snorts in
a row so that became our mission and we worked on it.

The first time he decided to practice "snort, snort, snort"
all in a row was this summer right out in public while we were
outside walking on the sidewalk in a strip mall shopping area.

It took every ounce of ummmmphfff in Matthew to be able to
get into the groove (and caught me quite by surprise) not
to mention was very funny.

In order for him to make more than one snort he has to put
his whole body into it...his shoulders move up rigidly, his
head jerks and his whole body becomes a snort, snort maker.

Learning this new skill (and it is a very important skill)
*nods and grins* is something he worked on all summer long
and it typically happens at home on a whim.

But last Thursday we went to the market, Mama, Dad and Matthew

And.....



For whatever reason (of which I do not know)...it was
"snort snort" practice time for Matthew.



The grocery cart train...

Matthew pushing the cart, practicing his "snorting" extravaganza

Mama the caboose, laughing like a little kid

And Dad the Engineer, pulling the chugga chugga "snort
snort" giggling grocery cart down the aisle, saying
"you guys are crazy."

I caught the grown up in me saying out loud, through my own
childish chuckles, that there is a time and place for snorting
and the market isn't the time or place but it quickly became
apparent that the little kid in me (of which I am quite fond)
won and I relished in the fun and amusement.

He snort, snort snorted down the aisle, to the bakery
section where Dad bought a little cake and continued right
on practicing through the check-out.



The girl grocery clerk with dark hair and a big smile, who
rang up our groceries, was so sweet.

I told her (amidst Matthew the snorting machine) that he
just learned how to do this. She replied, with a smile,
"He's having fun."

So there it is, a little "oink oink" humor.

I guess you could say Matthew is a little ham.

But he is OUR little ham and I'm super proud of Matthew and
everything that he learns, even when he innocently has the
urge to practice learning right in the middle of a grocery
aisle.

Those silly little snorts with a mixture of Mama's laughter
and Dad going along for the ride made for a very good day
that just happened to take place in a small, local, friendly,
family owned market....one of our favorites for fresh fish,
but now it will forever hold a very special memory of a
certain sweet, little ham.