Dear Little Man,
It is funny how appropriate your nickname is on this blog. I had no idea when you were 2 that you would be choosing to wear ties to school on most days, insisting on being fancy and always having a belt. We joke that we are raising a little Alex P. Keaton but you have no idea who that is or what that means. I truly do love the little man that you are growing into, insisting on holding doors for me because I am a lady and wanting to understand every concept that comes your way. I love the grown up questions you ask me even if I don't always have the answers and I love the way that you know manners matter every day.
At 6 years old, you have really grasped reading and read everything - you pick up any book, piece or paper or my cell phone text messages and read them out loud. You love math and magic and sometimes think that they are one and the same. You are generous and kind and have empathy beyond your years. You still let me kiss you goodbye at the bus stop and hold my hand all the way home in the afternoon. I think when you are 7 you will still love reading and math and I am very hopeful that I can still kiss you and hold your hand. You are never too old to get snugs, baby. Never.
You are my little rule follower and I hope that as you get older I can help you realize that not all rules apply equally and you are allowed to question the validity and purpose of a rule. There are some that we can't avoid, but I don't want you to blindly follow rules. I am not really worried though, you question everything about life and you will eventually turn your curiosity to the rule around you. I want to teach you to be a truth-teller especially about yourself. I have found that I feel the best about myself and make others feel the best about themselves when I am honest in all things, my skills, my abilities but also my faults and weaknesses. Don't be afraid to fail or fall down - sometimes those are the best experiences in life, they teach you the most and when you get up from a fall or come back from a failure; well then you really know success.
I love you and I am so proud of the 6 year old boy that you are today and I am already incredibly proud of the man I know you are going to grow into over the years.
Love
Mama
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Little Man turns 6
From here:
To there:
It is almost unfathomable to me that I laid eyes on my Little Man six whole years ago. I can distinctly remember laying in the hospital bed a few hours after he was born and asking my mom to help me unwrap his swaddling blanket because I wanted to go over every inch of him. I was so scared to touch him, hold him or do anything with him. He was so new and delicate and perfect and I didn't feel remotely qualified to be in charge of him. I didn't know that even 6 years later, I would still feel completely unqualified to be in charge of him, but I would know how to fake it so that he didn't know. I kissed his tiny strawberry mark on his cheek never knowing that I would miss that little mark when it disappeared two years later. I counted his little fingers and toes having no idea how quickly they would grow. I kissed his lips over and over, inhaling his baby scent thinking it was the best smell in the world never knowing that sweaty, dirty snugs would be just as enjoyable even though the baby smell is long gone.
Today, Little Man got to choose how and when we did things so gifts were opened by 9am and candles were blown out by 10. We are taking his best buddy Sebastian out with us for lunch and ice cream followed by an afternoon date. Then I am sure he will have even more cake and fall into a sugar coma at bed time.
He is 6. That sounds so grown to me. Firmly out of infant, toddler and little kid and into big kid territory. Oh the places, he will go!
It is almost unfathomable to me that I laid eyes on my Little Man six whole years ago. I can distinctly remember laying in the hospital bed a few hours after he was born and asking my mom to help me unwrap his swaddling blanket because I wanted to go over every inch of him. I was so scared to touch him, hold him or do anything with him. He was so new and delicate and perfect and I didn't feel remotely qualified to be in charge of him. I didn't know that even 6 years later, I would still feel completely unqualified to be in charge of him, but I would know how to fake it so that he didn't know. I kissed his tiny strawberry mark on his cheek never knowing that I would miss that little mark when it disappeared two years later. I counted his little fingers and toes having no idea how quickly they would grow. I kissed his lips over and over, inhaling his baby scent thinking it was the best smell in the world never knowing that sweaty, dirty snugs would be just as enjoyable even though the baby smell is long gone.
Today, Little Man got to choose how and when we did things so gifts were opened by 9am and candles were blown out by 10. We are taking his best buddy Sebastian out with us for lunch and ice cream followed by an afternoon date. Then I am sure he will have even more cake and fall into a sugar coma at bed time.
He is 6. That sounds so grown to me. Firmly out of infant, toddler and little kid and into big kid territory. Oh the places, he will go!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Spring Break 2013
I have to admit that I was dreading Spring Break a little bit. All 3 kids home in cold weather sounded like a recipe for child boredom induced fighting sprees. I was so wrong and I find that I am really looking forward to the summer.
I loved not having a schedule to keep, lunches to make, bus stops to get to, drop off's and pick up's, therapy appointments etc. We had play dates and plans but they were all laid back and I never cared if we arrived or left later, if lunches got pushed back or if naps were a bit off schedule. We even managed to keep the house picked up, homemade lunches and dinners all week although I have to admit that the laundry situation is totally out of control.
My favorite activity was going swimming at the rec center with the kids. They loved it and I don't know why we haven't done it before. I think that I had imagined it as really stressful or hard but it was a breeze to prepare for, have fun at and even get home. The boys jumped, splashed and played for 2 hours while Sweet Pea stayed with me chatting and playing with toys in the shallow beach entry. We had so much fun the first day that we went that we ended up going back again today.
My least favorite events of the week were:
1. Peanut swallowing a penny
2. Sweet Pea peeing in a toy dump truck
3. Little Man tripping and falling down the stairs
4. Finding Sweet Pea running around with batteries in her mouth
Ok so maybe I was a little more relaxed than I should have been. But what an awesome week. Bring on the summer!
I loved not having a schedule to keep, lunches to make, bus stops to get to, drop off's and pick up's, therapy appointments etc. We had play dates and plans but they were all laid back and I never cared if we arrived or left later, if lunches got pushed back or if naps were a bit off schedule. We even managed to keep the house picked up, homemade lunches and dinners all week although I have to admit that the laundry situation is totally out of control.
My favorite activity was going swimming at the rec center with the kids. They loved it and I don't know why we haven't done it before. I think that I had imagined it as really stressful or hard but it was a breeze to prepare for, have fun at and even get home. The boys jumped, splashed and played for 2 hours while Sweet Pea stayed with me chatting and playing with toys in the shallow beach entry. We had so much fun the first day that we went that we ended up going back again today.
My least favorite events of the week were:
1. Peanut swallowing a penny
2. Sweet Pea peeing in a toy dump truck
3. Little Man tripping and falling down the stairs
4. Finding Sweet Pea running around with batteries in her mouth
Ok so maybe I was a little more relaxed than I should have been. But what an awesome week. Bring on the summer!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
A Penny for your Thoughts....
Peanut, Sweet Pea and Little Man were all playing in the kitchen while I was making dinner and all of a sudden I heard a choking sound from around the corner. I called out Peanut's name to check on him and he didn't respond and was clutching at his throat. I hadn't given them any food yet so I couldn't figure out what he could have swallowed. I ran over and he was crying big huge crocodile tears and broke my heart but he seemed fine. He looks up and tells me in his horribly sad voice that he accidentally swallowed his penny and now it was in his tummy forever. Then started bawling. I am not sure if he was scared or worried or just upset that he lost his penny. After a reassuring conversation with the doctor that swallowing it was the hardest part and now we should just keep a look out for it... I called Papa Bear and told him what happened because I felt awful that I hadn't taken the penny away earlier. It's Peanut, we know just about everything still goes in his mouth so I really should have seen it coming. So at least for a few days, Peanut is worth $.01 more than he was yesterday.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Happy 4th Birthday Peanut
Dear Peanut,
Oh how I adore the sweet, funny guy that you are. You have grown and matured so much this year and have made me so very very proud. Your favorite thing to do still revolves around food and you ask me multiple times a day about lunch and dinner. I love watching you get involved in a toy that you are playing with, legos, trains, trucks or cars - you go off into your own world of play moving from room to room without disruption. I just love watching and listening to you. Lately I have spent a lot of time just listening to you, cherishing your words that come so much easier for you now and loving the more grown up sentiments that you express. You are more cuddly at 4 than you were at 2 or even 3 and often ask me for hugs, snuggles and just randomly tell me that you love me. You have no idea how much I love that and I have a hard time not holding on tighter when you want to get down and play again. Tonight, just before bed, you crawled onto my lap and then lifted your head and thanked me for your birthday gifts and cake. It made me melt. I love your manners and how you love sharing with your brother and sister, often shrugging and saying "sure" when I ask you to give something to one of them.
Peanut, I know that this coming year is going to be amazing for you. We are slowly easing off of speech therapy and you are making such fantastic progress. You have made some good friends in preschool this year and I hope that you can grow those friendships over the summer and into the next school year. You ask for Ethan, Cooper and Curran on all of your non-school days and have told me that Safia is your best friend on the playground. We are going to expect even more from you this year as you grow into a "big boy" and you get to start your chores this summer. You will also start swim team and piano lessons. I love that you are old enough to start these bigger boy activities but I am a little sad that it means you are growing up. I know that you are going to be a sullen teenager before I know it. Just remember, when you are older and you think that I don't understand you and that you can't relate to me - no matter what, I love you more every single day.
Happy Birthday my love, my Peanut, my sweet boy! This morning you asked me if you were 4 yet and when I said yes, you exclaimed "Yay, I am not 3 anymore and I am almost 5". You may be in a hurry to grow up, but I am going to enjoy the 4 year old you as much as I can.
Love
Mama
Oh how I adore the sweet, funny guy that you are. You have grown and matured so much this year and have made me so very very proud. Your favorite thing to do still revolves around food and you ask me multiple times a day about lunch and dinner. I love watching you get involved in a toy that you are playing with, legos, trains, trucks or cars - you go off into your own world of play moving from room to room without disruption. I just love watching and listening to you. Lately I have spent a lot of time just listening to you, cherishing your words that come so much easier for you now and loving the more grown up sentiments that you express. You are more cuddly at 4 than you were at 2 or even 3 and often ask me for hugs, snuggles and just randomly tell me that you love me. You have no idea how much I love that and I have a hard time not holding on tighter when you want to get down and play again. Tonight, just before bed, you crawled onto my lap and then lifted your head and thanked me for your birthday gifts and cake. It made me melt. I love your manners and how you love sharing with your brother and sister, often shrugging and saying "sure" when I ask you to give something to one of them.
Peanut, I know that this coming year is going to be amazing for you. We are slowly easing off of speech therapy and you are making such fantastic progress. You have made some good friends in preschool this year and I hope that you can grow those friendships over the summer and into the next school year. You ask for Ethan, Cooper and Curran on all of your non-school days and have told me that Safia is your best friend on the playground. We are going to expect even more from you this year as you grow into a "big boy" and you get to start your chores this summer. You will also start swim team and piano lessons. I love that you are old enough to start these bigger boy activities but I am a little sad that it means you are growing up. I know that you are going to be a sullen teenager before I know it. Just remember, when you are older and you think that I don't understand you and that you can't relate to me - no matter what, I love you more every single day.
Happy Birthday my love, my Peanut, my sweet boy! This morning you asked me if you were 4 yet and when I said yes, you exclaimed "Yay, I am not 3 anymore and I am almost 5". You may be in a hurry to grow up, but I am going to enjoy the 4 year old you as much as I can.
Love
Mama
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Baby Sister
Meet Baby Sister: (The doll)
Baby Sister has gone everywhere with us recently.
She was strapped into the car seat, taken to the bus stop, stripped
naked and declared cold, covered with blankets, given snacks and taken
to the playground. I don't know exactly where the name "Baby Sister"
came from but Sweet Pea is typically maternal with her baby dolls and I
love it. I think the dolls will make a perfect "Baby Sister" for her
because she would be livid if she had to share me with an actual baby.
This works out much better for both of us!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The Huggers
The other day I was asking Little Man my typical daily questions about school and he started talking about this game that he was playing at recess. It is called "The Huggers". The girls are "The Huggers" and the boys are "The Runner Awayers". From here the game is fairly self-explainable. The girls chase the boys and try to hug them (and sometimes kiss them) while the boys run away from them. I know he has been in Kindergarten for over 6 months, but now it is official - he has played "Girls Chase Boys" as it was called in my day. A rite of passage that made me laugh as I listened to him explain the intricacies of the game as if they had made it up and were the first to ever play. We need to watch out for this Emily girl, apparently she is the best hugger.
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