Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

During the holiday season, Ethan's Catholic school held a Christmas program in which the First Graders presented the Birth of Jesus to the congregation of Sacred Heart in Boise. Our son is not really very shy, and when he had the opportunity to select his "character," he immediately said "Joseph!" Obviously, Joseph is a big role in any Nativity play. The girl who played Mary has an interesting relationship with our son. Earlier during the first semester of the year, she actually bullied Ethan on the playground to the extent there was a "talking to" about her behavior. However, it seems, in reality, that she and Ethan may actually like each other meaning their roles in the Nativity play were either typecasting or prophetic. However, when Ethan was explaining to me about who was playing Mary, he exclaimed, "Dad! Can you imagine being married to HER!" This comment was close on the heels of his comment to his mother about playing Joseph when

Ethan turns 7 years old in a couple of weeks and his sense of independence (and desire for it) is expanding as quickly as his vocabulary. He now routinely asks to do routine tasks by himself such as turning the security system on and off in the house. It's actually a pretty sophisticated process, and he takes it very seriously. Part of his insistence on setting the alarm is, I suspect, to allay his continuing concerns about the burglary we had over a year ago. He continues to show apprehension even in the house with the doors locked. So, setting the alarm is important not only for his security but also for his growing sense of independence. This sense of independence takes on other forms as well. He now wants to use the rest room by himself in public places. Just last night, we attended the Borah-Capital High School varsity BB game, and he insisted on going to the bathroom by himself as well as standing in the concession line to buy his own snacks. I was pleased to see that he