Brief Notes About New Skillz
Lucas now can whistle. He’s been working on this for a year or so. He wants to be a better whistler than his Papa. Not gonna happen. Nobody’s a better whistler than my dad. But hey, the kid’s gotta have dreams. So he’s practicing all the time—in the house, in the car—and it’s driving us batty.
Asher can now walk backward. And, as of Monday, he has learned how to nod yes. “Do you want some meat?” *Nod* It’s funny because it’s something we all take for granted as being a natural, effortless response, but for the last 17.5 months he has only been able to say no. The first nod on Monday was so very slow and deliberate. He paused, thought about what he wanted to do, and slowly moved his head up and down. Ian vividly remembers Lucas’s first nods, so it seemed appropriate to commemorate Asher’s learning the skill.
And last but not least, I can now run on the treadmill for 45 minutes straight—without dying. I spend 5 minutes warming up by walking and usually 5 cooling down, but in the middle I’m running. I run slowly—only 4.2 miles per hour (14.7-minute miles), but I’m doing it. I’ve done it three times this week. No pain, no wheezing. And when I’m done, I feel awesome. Today’s stats: 60 mins total. (5:45:10); 4 miles; 580 calories.
