Denial

I think I'm in a state of denial that Ruby will be 1 on the 15th of October. How could it be? And yet, she is wowing us with her cruising and cupboard unloading skillz. She LOVES to unload.

It's fun to watch (only at red lights of course) the three of them in the back of the car on the way home. Oh, yes, it's mayhem most days, but there are moments of loveliness. When the boys are giggling at what Ruby's doing or vice versa. She's not one to keep quiet either, if the boys have done her wrong, we all know it. She also likes to shriek when wanting more of something. She can say more and sign it, but will often times resort to the shriek if not immediately serviced. . . .an impatient little one. . . .

Speaking of little, it seems to us that she is no longer little. With chubber cheeks and thick thighs she's packing it on. . . originally I was hoping that she would exceed 18 lbs. I'm not worried about that happening! We're officially in size 3 diapers now!

She still has 2 top and 2 bottom teeth, although based on our nights we are anticipating a couple to break through on top. Please. Soon.

What a joy you are Ruby.

End of the Innocence?

Conversation yesterday on the way home. . . .
(you all know that Eli is the less-than-stellar-classmate, right?)

Max: You know what Eli did today?

Me: What did he do?

Max: He kicked Matthew in the nucks.

Me: (after much self-chuckling) What are the nucks?

Max: You know, your penis and your butt. . . .

Swirling thoughts about the Kindergarten Transition

So, after my last post about Max having a great day--he had his worst day. Argh.

One of his choices even landed him in the principal's office.

Since this is a journal, I'm going to do my best to document things for, ahem, posterity's sake.

Since Max has started Kindergarten, we've begun to learn and understand more, and at the same time, wonder more about what makes Max tick.

We know that Max loves to learn. Whenever he is actively learning or engaged in something, he is at his best, and probably the happiest. He loves time in the LMC, PE class, Music, Art, as well as any learning time in the classroom. He also likes to spend time outside. So really, there are lots of times when Max is at his best.

The challenging times for Max are when he is left to observe and investigate others and their actions. Mostly imitating behaviors, and sometimes doing these things on his own. He is in command of the rules of the classroom, but does not always choose to follow them. However, we are thinking this isn't neccessarily intentional. We are noticing that when Max is engaged or focused on something--especially visually--it is hard to capture his attention.

So, here we are on day 13 of Kindergarten, hoping that this is the week when everything comes together for our sweet, innocent, brilliant little boy.

Speaking of innocence, do you know what he said on Saturday? We were riding in the Jeep and talking about costumes and Halloween items when he said, "Did you know that there's a red monster--that's kind of like a cat, but it has a long red tail with an arrow at the end?"
So on Sunday evening, I had him get out the book where he saw this and show it to me. We did our best to describe the devil to him. . . .challenge #856 in how to parent your kids.
Max kept on asking about the devil, "Can you tell me more? Like, what kinds of bad choices did the devil make?"

Max's Signs of Fall. . .

Above: Fall decorations for the den, Max's drawing of this year's Halloween costume--The Flash, and our list for the Farmer's Market--Squash, 2 Gords, Apples, and Raspberries

How's it going?

As of last night, better. Yesterday was the best day we've had since the start of school. AHHHHHHHH. It felt so good.



So to catch up on life, last weekend we traveled to the cities to celebrate our good friend Cole's 4th Birthday. What an adorable kid he is. Seeing him, and the kid he is, finally made something "click" for me and Max's superhero fascination. You see, Cole is into dress up. Serious dress-up. It's so cute, and fun, and loveable. Superheros? Not so loveable for me. But what I've finally realized is that it's not about me. It's not about what I like, it's about what Max likes. And right now, that's superheros. Remember when he was interested in animals? Well, that was great! We've got animals coming out of our ears. So, I've taken a step back, and thought, if this is what he is interested in, then go with it. Don't squash his enthusiasm. Let it be. Maybe once the thrill is gone, so might the interest. Guess what he want's to be for Halloween? The Flash.



Cooper has decided he wants to be a Firestation puppy (dalmation). He has been into having "pets."



Ruby, well she's growing and changing like you wouldn't believe. She is signing 'more'. She babbles and talks a bunch. Says MaMa and a few other words, but I'm not sure what they mean yet. She is into the "drop it" game. She knows what crayons are for and will draw. She likes music. Apparently, her favorite toy at school is a maraca.

Too Fast

Ruby turns 1 in one month.

Cooper is 3 and a quarter.

Max is 5 and a half.

Self diagnosis

We have established that Max can have chocolate milk at snack time, and white milk at lunch. Two days ago on the way out to the car, he tells me this:

MaMa, I'm allergic to white milk.

And did I mention. . .

About Ruby:

Another new trick, pulling off books from the bookcase. She likes to launch herself backwards. She is cruise-cruise-cruisin'. She is nearly 11 months and still wears size 2 diapers. She's a gadget girl. Grandma asked what she needed/wanted for her birthday, I should have said--a phone, a remote or a blackberry. She loves food. Still breastfeeding. She has a voice! She squack/squeal/screams when she wants something. Says mama, but I'm not sure she really means it. She actually talks quite a bit. She's a mover when it's time for a diaper change. She loves bathtime, but tries to stand in the tub. Like I mentioned before, she can climb steps. Seems to enjoy bike rides in the Bur!ey. Still enjoys being in the E.rgo. Has slept through the night, but not much lately.



About Cooper:

Active imagination. Current fascinations: baby, puppy, giraffes, horses, beans, dinosaurs.
Likes to wear mesh shorts "shorts with diamonds." Likes to wear Max's shoes. Prefers water or "juicy water" (Propel) to milk. Doesn't like the dark. Adores Ruby 90% of the time. Adores Max 85% of the time. Has been more tired since he started in the 3 year old room. Starting to count things. Recognizes some letters in his name and Max's name. Will eat some spicy foods.
Loves fruit. I've been meaning to mention this too--Cooper's pronunciation of Lightning McQueen: Wiping Ateen. Too cute.



About Max:

Sponge. Soaking up all that is being taught to him at school. We are amazed by what he is bringing home everyday. Are all kids like this? Spanish, sign language and now Chinese! He is definitely spent by the end of the day, and his coping skills are really challenged at that time. We are hoping that his body adjusts soon. He's starting to be interested in money. We went to the farmer's market with a twenty and it was hard for him to part with it, but then, was happy in then end when he ended up with six one dollar bills. It was fun to use the experience as a teachable moment. We've had lots of those moments lately. Can count over one hundred. He uses that as a gauge to know how far away from a destination we are. "Can I count to one hundred ten times?"

This just in. . . .

Ruby's crawling up the stairs!
Guess it's time to get the gate back out.

Cooper's now a baby!
We broke out the booster chair--you know--the same one he was refusing to sit in--and now he can't get enough of the thing. Max is the big brother and will snap him in and out(Max enjoys control). Cooper will babble--something we throuroughly enjoy--and ask Max for a "huggy." I turns into a full body hug where no part of Cooper's body is touching the floor. Ahhh, regression. Gotta love it. Oh, and he's now asking for a diaper--instead of a diaper though, Mommy was able to convince Cooper to just wear his underwear the opposite direction--which if you recall is now the correct way to wear underwear.

Max is now on day 5 of Kindergarten. He's taught us some Spanish, some sign language, and some of the rules--like raising your hand. He realized after day 2 that he wasn't getting enough time to finish his lunch, and asked to start bringing his own. He wanted a sandwich and 2 carrot sticks. I added a few things. Lost his lunch bag the first day of carrying a lunch. Pretty sure he's already identified the bully of the class--Eli. He was the boy that started the pinching and kicking on Day 1. Max doesn't like to be around him, and already knows to find other friends to play with. Yesterday, Max had one of his previous classmates from the Y join his class. Someone he really gets along with. On Friday afternoon, when I was on my lunch bag mission, I saw his teacher and she came along to try and find Max's lunch bag. She said, " You know, I've come to understand Max, and think it would be best for him if the school day ended at 2 pm!" He is a kid who could still take a nap, so by 2, he's spent. . . She also said that he reminds her of her oldest son, which made me happy, maybe she'll have a soft spot for him!

Kindergarten: Day 2

Went much better than day one.

When I picked Max up from school, I was greeted with an enormous hug. (I am treasuring these as I'm sure at some point it won't be cool) He told me he had a great day. We picked up his things and went back toward the Kindergarten suite to look for his sweatshirt. We found his locker, got his sweatshirt and poked our head into his classroom. Mrs. K was in the middle of writing us an email! She (one of the reasons we like her so much) involved Max in the conversation, and said that Max did a great job keeping his hands to himself, and that he had a good day. She told me about the Guidance Counselor coming in and doing a puppet show. She said she can tell that Max loves books. She also has recognized that Max is a very focused child. So much so, that he sometimes has difficulty breaking away from what he is doing to follow other instructions to do something.

Max's synopsis of the day:

Gym was fun. We played tag. I kind of got scared when the teachers were trying to get us, but I liked it when it was just the kids.

Me: How was music class? Did you sing or play musical instruments?
Max: No. We had bean bags. And we had to do whatever the teacher did with her bean bag. MaMa, who ever heard of a bean bag class?

A little later. . .

Max: C'mon Amigos! MaMa, did you know that Amigos means friends?
Me: That's a neat Spanish word--
Max: Senor B, Senor B MaMa, that's how you say Mr. B.
Me: Who's Senor B?
Max: My puppet teacher! (refer to above)
[I'm wondering if Max now thinks he has puppet class in Kindergarten]

A little later. . .

Max: I can't wait for gym tomorrow.
Me: I don't think you have gym tomorrow. You will have gym and music next week.
Max: I hope we have music in music class, instead of those bean bags!

The blink of an eye. . .

With Max entering kindergarten, I can't tell you how many people we have heard tell us how fast it all goes. Will it really go that fast? I mean, I'll have twelve more years of blogging in by the time he is a senior in high school. Yesterday, Peg and I began what will be a seventeen year stint of having children in K-12 education. How could seventeen years go by just like that? What is it about having kids in school that makes time go by faster?

Come Little Duckling. . . .

It's time to come out of the nest.

We knew this day would come. The first "real" day of Kindergarten. Our boy is ready, but are we? Logically, yes. He's five. He's smart. He's ready for a new environment. New challenges. More. Different. He is so ready. He's a sponge and we're confident he will build upon his emerging reading, spelling and math skills. Socially, he's accustomed to a classroom environment, and will be quick to learn the rules and enforce them. We love the school. We are really, really happy with his teacher. The school is has an "international" focus. Each grade level is partnered with another country, Kindergarten has a sister city in China, and some learning is focused on that region. In addition, the entire school focuses on a region or continent in the world, this year termed as "Oceania" Which is including Australia, New Zealand and surrounding islands. Art, music, gym, as well as other classroom curriculum will focus on this region. In addition to all of that, the school has a partnership with the local University's School of Education Foreign Language program and this partnership fosters the Spanish curriculum within the school starting as early as Kindergarten. I know what you're thinking, what a great school.

And this is where the Ms. Logical met up with Ms. Emotional this morning and I cried. I did. Max didn't see me, but I did. And when I got into the car, I really cried. By that I mean that I actually bawled a little bit. Man, this parenting gig is tough work.

Oh, and to give you a little snippet of what's to come on the blog in the next year. . . here's what happened in 20 minutes during our little orientation time. . .

Max met a new friend, Eli. Eli and Max played with some of the toys in the dramatic play area. There was a plethora of phones. There was the requisite kitchen area. There was a bassinet full of plastic babies. One, a girl, was naked(why is there always a naked baby?). Max told Eli about the girl's penis. Great.

Later on in the day, Max and Mommy were at the local craft store, picking up a project to work on for a gift. They met up with a man from our church. When Max was asked about his favorite things of the day, (you know where I'm going with this), his reply was, playing on the playground, playing in dramatic, and the naked girl with the penis!

After school update: there was playing, pinching, kicking, but apparently his whole day wasn't all bad. . .

Night time update: Grouch with a capital G. Asleep by 7:10.