Puzzles

The boys have discovered puzzles. My mom bought them a couple of puzzles not long after they came to us, but they didn't know what do to with them really. Then, just after Christmas I went through one of my puzzle crazy stages...where I do one after another. Joey loved sitting with me and staring at the puzzle pieces. I would explain to him my logic to doing puzzles. Eventually he started putting pieces in. They were always in the wrong places, but it was a start. When he would go to bed, I would go back and take all of them out. Then one day he put one in the right spot. We danced and fist bumped and sang "it's your birthday, it's your birthday"...we celebrated!! The next day he looked harder and harder to find a piece that fit.

Towards the end of the last puzzle I did in that puzzle crazy phase, he must have placed 10 correct pieces. Then, we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Joey found the puzzles she'd bought and they both started working the 50 piece puzzles intently. About a week later, they talked Aunt Chris into getting them some new puzzles at the Dollar Tree. Two days later, we were back at Dollar Tree getting even larger puzzles. Both Josh and Joey are working the puzzles, but Joey's is a puzzle obsession that mirrors mine. Although he hasn't yet reached the end of this puzzle crazy phase, I believe it will come. It's a new toy to him and I love it. Doing puzzles increases focus and problem solving and organization skills and the ability to play alone...which Joey has real trouble with. It's a fantastic eye exercise for his vision too! I couldn't be more happy about their interest in puzzles!