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Posts Tagged ‘Kids’

Photo Day

Posted in Milestones, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on April 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

To say that the Boo has grown tremendously throughout his first school year is like saying chocolate is good. Massive understatement. 

In the beginning, he would not only cry when I left but wander around like a lost, weepy lamb. This, despite a goodbye ritual that included a reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and a series of kisses and hugs and a lovey to comfort him in my absence. At one point, there was discussion of whether we should pull him out of school for a while. Instead, we decided to try adding a few more tricks to the bag — a photo of me to look at, a favorite CD. It was early November. 

Shortly after we expanded the comfort program, right after Thanksgiving, something clicked for the kiddo. He didn’t cry as I left. He started blowing me kisses goodbye. He began to find his place among his friends. We kept up with reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, though, partly because I enjoyed it so much — his classmates would cluster around us, chiming in on their favorite parts and beaming like only little kids can beam. 

A few weeks ago we dropped the book reading from the routine. Then we started doing our kisses and hugs in the hallway so the Boo can walk into his classroom like the big boy he’s become. Every time, we stop a bit further away, backing slowly toward more independence. 

One day about a month ago, the Boo came home with a bright orange flyer pinned to his backpack. Photo Day was coming, it said. Here are the 88 choices of print packages. Once I settled on a reasonable option and wrote a check, my thoughts turned to The Outfit. Surely something with a collar for Baby’s First School Photo. Shirt and tie? Polo shirt? 

I decided to involve the Boo by presenting a few possibilities the morning of Photo Day. I explained what a big deal the photo was, that both grandmas would have a copy, that it would be a good idea to wear something fancy. He considered the choices I held up and rejected them all, insisting instead that he wanted to wear the pajama shirt he had on:

 

I didn’t fight him. Why bother, when he picked the perfect reminder of how far he’s come since September?

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Still Here

Posted in Daily Life, tagged , , , on March 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Time has been slipping by with occasional thoughts of posting something and now here we are, over three weeks with no post. It’s some kind of record. So here’s what’s been going on:

Ear infection. We’re 3/4 of the way through the second round of antibiotics and have our fingers crossed because that little orifice is hugely disruptive when it’s out of order. Crappy sleep, crabby kid, and let’s not forget all those lovely trips to the doctor. I mean, I love our pediatrician and all, but there are limits. 

Colds. All three of us, in rotation, throughout the entire month of February. Whee!

Allergies. Our winter was so warm there was a mold count almost the entire time. 

February. That month can suck it. Even with V-day and the Boo’s birthday in there, it always kicks my behind until I turn around and say, “Go ahead, keep kicking, only two more weeks, right? I can take it.”

Baby Root Canal. Yep, that’s right, it’s a thing. And it’s the alternative to pulling a tooth when the nerve is dead and causing pain and threatening to blossom into an abscess. The Boo drank his sleepy juice like a champ and came through it just fine. And yes, dopey kids are hilarious. Haven’t laughed that hard in months. 

Time change. No need to say much about this since everyone is already complaining about it. 

Deathaversary. My dad died almost exactly nine years ago. Every year I think it won’t affect me. Every year I am wrongitty-wrong-wrong. Wrong. 

Singing. The Boo has suddenly, like seriously overnight, started singing entire songs. His rhythm is still better than his melody, but they are recognizable songs, yay! He is currently obsessed with London Bridge but also has deep affection Rom Stomp Stomp or whatever you call the kid’s song with “Oh Raffi” in the middle of it. What, is that like an ad for Raffi? That’s just wrong. 

Swimming. We started classes at a new place, and so far it’s an awesome way to chew up a Saturday morning. But I am looking forward to the first time he gets to go to a swimming class without me in the water. Mostly because I don’t enjoy the process of bathing both of us in a tiny shower with a sticky curtain and then dressing in front of strangers. I’d much rather get soaked showering my kid.

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State of the Boo: Three-Year-Old Edition

Posted in Milestones, tagged , , , , on February 22, 2015| Leave a Comment »

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You are three years old.

You chose standard birthday candles over a giant number three. You requested chocolate cake with yellow frosting (at first you wanted blue, and we were glad you changed your mind). You held the frosting tube as Mama wrote “Happy Birthday” (you didn’t want your name on it), put gummy bears on it, and stuck the candles deep into it in a nice little cluster.

You wave goodbye to Mama and blow her kisses when she leaves you at school.

You sometimes push your classmates and then grin at the teacher.

You recently declined an offer of honey to soothe your cough, saying, “No, I’d like a chocolate biscuit for my cough.”

You have lost the baby fat from your feet.

You had your first hearing and vision tests at your three-year checkup — the nurse was amazed at how well you followed directions.

You told the doctor (when he asked) that Mama was a boy. This was also part of your checkup. Other than that, you passed with flying colors. And to be fair, you could have been confused — Mama always calls herself a lady or a woman, not a girl.

You got a basketball hoop, a science book, and a marble track for your birthday. You love all three.

You sometimes declare “I don’t like you Mama, I want Daddy to put me to bed” when Mama is putting you to bed.

You sometimes declare “I don’t like you Daddy, I want Mama to put me to bed” when Daddy is putting you to bed.

You were reluctant to come downstairs to join the crowd (of five people) at your birthday party. Half an hour later, you were chatting happily with everyone.

You count to three like so: “One, two, tree!” This leaves no doubt of your Polish heritage.

You get royally pissed off when Mama says she can’t understand you when you whine.

You were able to sing snippets of “All the Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)” after hearing Mama sing it twice. This leaves no doubt that you are Mama’s offspring.

You recently learned how to propel yourself around the pool on a water noodle. You were concerned when Mama showed you she wasn’t holding the noodle anymore, but then your face lit up when you realized you had independence in the water.

You are flirting with the idea of potty training but have thus far only condescended to practice sitting on the toilet.

You continue to be a picky eater — so much so that you refused to eat the pancakes at your school’s Pajama Day and only ate a few bites of frosting from your birthday cake. Well, that and all the gummy bears on your piece. And the gummy bears from Mama’s piece.

You are three years old, and your new favorite phrase is, “I can do it myself!”

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Science Bus

Posted in Daily Life, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on February 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »

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Last week, we paid a visit to the MySci bus, a roving interactive science experience housed in a tractor-trailer. We were in there for approximately 90 seconds, because small spaces filled with loud people are not the Boo’s thing. At all. So we missed out on that particular enrichment opportunity.

But I’m not worried about what we missed because in the past week, the Boo has been bursting with questions about science. Herewith, a list of our topics and my explanations:

– Why a spoon gets hot when you put it next to the dishwasher vent (the heat likes to jump to the spoon because it’s made of metal).

– Why and how eyes move (thank you, Internet, for excellent anatomical diagrams) and how the brain makes that happen (it sends messages that are so fast you don’t even know they’re being sent).

– Why plumbers cost a lot of money
Me: They know a lot of special things about pipes and faucets, so we have to pay them a lot.
Boo: If they don’t know so many stuff… do we pay less?

– Why light helps us see (it bounces off everything).

– Where wind comes from (the sky, storms, fans, hands that are waving really fast).

– How the heart works (I used my fist as a model and said “lub-dub, lub-dub.”)

Maybe next time we’ll enjoy the MySci bus a bit more, but for now I think I’m doing pretty well explaining physics and biology at a preschool level.

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Blast From the Past

Posted in Daily Life, tagged , , , on February 6, 2015| 2 Comments »

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Did you know that “February” can be translated as “couch, cookies and cocoa”? Or so I’ve been told.

Here, then, is a post from a year ago, about something I’m still doing: Using a timer to trick the Boo into doing what I want him to do. Although now he asks for additional timers to be set…

There are so many long stretches of parenting a small child that are absolutely mind-numbing in their repetitiveness that when you occasionally come up with a genius childrearing idea on the fly, it’s both a shock and cause for celebration.

I had one of those moments a few months ago when I asked the Boo to take me upstairs instead of telling him we had to go up. I have no idea why I did it, but the appeal to his budding independence was instant and dramatic — he seized my finger and practically dragged me up behind him. A couple of weeks ago, though, I came up with an even better trick, though once again I couldn’t tell you where the idea came from.

The Boo was being particularly disinclined to be happy about delaying his desires, which is to say, it was close to nap time on yet another butt-cold day in February and I needed to do a few more things before I could grant his wish to help him play at the sink. I pulled out my phone and opened the clock app.

“I tell you what. I’ll set the timer. When you hear the bells, it’s time for water play.”

He looked a little unsure about this timer thing, but he was pleased that I let him push the start button. Then I made a huge deal about the bells ringing and let him push the cancel button. Then I set it again to signal the end of water play, because he will seriously spend as much time as we let him “washing” dishes.

So now, instead of whining at me (my least favorite thing about my kid) when he needs to wait or stop doing something he likes, he submits to the will of the phone. Because, see, the command is coming from the phone — the provider of videos and games and general fun — not from me. And he doesn’t have it in him to whine at the phone.

Yet.

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State of the Boo: Christmas 2014

Posted in Happiness, Milestones, tagged , , , on January 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

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It’s been over a week since Toyfest ’14, a/k/a Christmas, and already the memories are fading. Herewith I hope to capture at least a few.

– You asked if Santa was coming/if it was Christmas every few days for the entire month of December. You also asked where Santa was. A lot. Whenever Mama asked if you wanted to meet Santa, you said no, then you asked to go see him day after Christmas.

– You enjoyed decorating the tree, which in your world means telling Mama where to put the ornaments, and then occasionally pulling them off and leaving them somewhere after trying and failing to put them back on.

– You didn’t notice the gradual increase of gifts under the tree, but the appearance of a stuffed stocking on Christmas morning made an impression. (See cookies for Santa entry below.)

– You enjoyed making cookies with Mama, and became proficient at sifting and dumping and stirring. Rolling cookie dough balls in sugar, not so much — though you were very good at eating spoonfuls of sugar. You also loved playing with the stand mixer — it spent about a month on the floor so you could look at it, ask questions about it, attach and detach the beaters, and turn it on and off (with supervision).

– You went with Mama and Daddy to deliver plates of cookies to the neighbors. You only wanted to climb the stairs to ring the bell at one house, where twin girls live. At another house, the Chinese granny treated you to her rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” — on the harmonica.

– You enjoyed the Polish Christmas Eve tradition of oplatki — basically a giant communion wafer stamped with Christmas scenes that you break and eat with family while wishing them well in the coming year.

– You seemed skeptical about leaving a note and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, but you gamely went along with it. We left your empty stocking next to the plate so Santa could fill it for you, and he did — with Gummi Bears, jelly beans, a tiny motorcycle, and a Caillou doll.

– You really got into opening presents this year, but we still didn’t get through all of them on Christmas. However, you also enjoyed opening the stragglers for days afterward. And still, everyone was so generous that we held a few of our gifts back for your birthday.

– You liked all your presents, but particularly enjoyed playing with your take-apart engine (from Daddy) and watching Totoro (from Grammie) on Christmas Day. As the days have gone by, you’ve been playing with everything in rotation.

– You were okay with putting away the ornaments and lights, but balked at parting with your Trans-Siberian Orchestra CD and negotiated to keep it for an extra day. Mama was not thrilled with this arrangement, but agree to it in the spirit of Christmas.

– You occasionally ask where the ornaments are, and if it’s Christmas again. Mama does her best to explain that Christmas only happens once a year.

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The Four Faces of the Boo

Posted in Daily Life, tagged , , , on October 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

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The Boo is so my child:
“Mama, I want the beginning of Purple Rain again.”

The Boo is so his daddy’s child:
“I don’t like the squares on my sheet.”

The Boo is so his own person:
“Where’s the accelerator light, Mama?”

The Boo also recently protested a request to not pick his nose, arguing strenuously that he wanted the boogers in his mouth. (“It’s not gross!”)

But perhaps that just makes him a child of the universe.

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How To Watch Kiddie TV

Posted in Daily Life, Entertainment, tagged , , , on October 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

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Even if you don’t actually sit down to watch kiddie shows with your kid, you will be within earshot of a considerable amount of treacly kiddietainment. After six long months of exposure, I’ve come up with the best way to cope with the despair that inevitably arises on hearing the Ice Skating episode of Caillou for the umpteenth time: Figure out what drugs the main characters are on.

Taking Caillou as an example, the mom is clearly on Valium. No other way she could remain that cheery throughout days of thoughtfully disciplining her four-year-old while wrangling a toddler. Dad is tripping — how else to explain his ability to flip between Zen and zaniness?

Over on the island of Sodor, Thomas and his friends are partaking of something that makes them simpleminded in the extreme. I’m going with weed. And Sir Topham Hatt? Clearly a raving drunk — why else would he talk to steam engines — and believe that they talk back to him?

And finally, Super Why. Collective hallucinations among friends who believe themselves to have super powers, including the ability to enter books and talk to the main characters they find therein. Three words: group Peyote trip.

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At The Playground

Posted in Daily Life, Happiness, tagged , , , on March 12, 2014| 2 Comments »

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Now that winter is beating a slow but definite retreat, we’re dropping by our favorite playground whenever it makes sense. It’s been really fun to see the leap in physical skills the Boo has taken since the fall, and he enjoys eating snacks at the little picnic table almost as much as he digs the ability to climb and slide on his own.

Playgrounds are surprisingly intimate spaces given that they’re open-air venues. I’ve seen children cradled after scary and/or bloody falls, witnessed dead-serious negotiations over balls and buckets and shovels, and smiled at babies nursing as their siblings run amok.

The other day as I was spotting my kid’s ascent on a metal ladder (!) I heard a snatch of Japanese, which I used to speak fairly well. I turned my head just in time to see a mom next to her daughter at the bottom of a slide. The girl was 4 or 5 (I’m terrible at gauging ages) and was in a lovely frilly dress and hair bow. Her eyes were closed, seemingly because of the bright spring sun. The mom placed her daughter’s hand on the slide and said, “1, 2, 3.” The rest of what she said was beyond my capabilities, but the meaning was clear to me once the girl flickered her milky eyes and smiled.

This is a slide, this is what you do on a slide. Someday soon when you’re ready, we’ll get you up there.

I hope I get to be there when that little girl is ready.

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Of iPads and Applesauce

Posted in Growth & Development, tagged , , , on January 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Every time I read an article on kids and technology, or raising kids in the digital age, or kids and screen time, I come away with the same impression: We’re doing it wrong. So here’s a point-by-point rebuttal to the experts, just for fun.

Rule: Don’t leave the kid alone with an iPad.
Reality: Sometimes I need a shower when I’m the only adult around, and iPad plus pack-and-play keeps my kid safe and happy for the 10 minutes I need to get clean. Also, we frequently play with him when he’s playing with it, and mix in educational apps whenever possible.

Rule: Too much screen time will result in a kid with delays elsewhere.
Reality: My 23-month-old is speaking in sentences, loves counting, knows his colors, and is learning his letters. He’s excited by and interested in all of that, and none of it was delivered by a device.

Rule: Don’t let the kid eat in front of a screen.
Reality: When a kid is sick, all bets are off.

Rule: Giving a kid access to devices will make them beg for screen time.
Reality: Have you ever met a toddler who didn’t beg for something? It’s called pushing limits, and it’s his job right now. Also, he begs for books and songs and the opportunity to flick a light switch.

Rule: Early iPad use will give your kid ADD.
Reality: The Boo will spend as much time, if not more, playing in the kitchen cabinets, or packing and unpacking things, or demanding that I read him book after book. He’ll also walk away from the iPad when he’s bored with it.

Rule: Kids who use technology early lack empathy.
Reality: My kid offers to kiss our boo-boos and recently apologized to a kid he bumped with a piece of gym equipment.

All that said, we don’t give the Boo unlimited screen time, and he doesn’t watch TV (just short videos while we brush his teeth). We also don’t give him the iPad if he’s begging or whining for it. In short, our technology policy for him is the same as the one for us: Don’t be an idiot.

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