We lost power at about 11am yesterday and it was still not on this morning. A quick call to daycare revealed that they had power, though, and since (according to my mom's help checking my email) I didn't have anything cancelling my orientation, Nicholas and I headed down to Framingham. Since the first functional traffic light I encountered was at his daycare's intersection, we really lucked out.
Nicholas and I went about our days and meanwhile Joe left about 10 to drive down to Philly, with the power still out all around us. I heard a third-hand rumor mid-afternoon that at least some parts of our town had power, but was unwilling to risk getting all the way back up here only to find it impossible to make anything other than tuna for dinner, and so Nicholas and I went out to eat after I picked him up.
On the drive home Nicholas asked if he could watch "Little Einsteins" when we got home. I simply said no, but he followed it up with an explanation of how we couldn't watch tv because the tv wouldn't turn on. About two minutes later we turned onto our street and our building came into view. "Our building!" Nicholas shouted. And then I saw what I was really looking for, a light on over a doorway. "And the lights are on!" I chimed in. And, our Nicholas, what did he say? "Now the tv works!"
We then walked upstairs and I turned on a light when I opened the door, to which Nicholas exclaimed, full of excitement, "We have power!" He and I then proceeded to do a little "we have power" dance.
He then promptly climbed up on the couch, insisting that he needed to watch tv and had a complete meltdown when I told him that no, even though the power was back, he couldn't watch tv because it was too late.
Poor kid.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Getting so big
I uploaded the pictures from last night's baseball game and discovered an assortment of other photos from the week I had forgotten about. And as I looked through the pictures I was struck over and over again by how old Nicholas is getting. In live action the increasingly frequent outbursts of whining remind you frequently that he is still only 2, but silent photos highlight instead the increasing range of activities and level of sophistication. Yes, I did just use the word "sophistication" to describe the activities of a 2-year-old boy. It is all relative.
Case in point: Nicholas has recently discovered the board games we keep on the living room bookshelves and wants to play any I'll let him. He or I make up modified rules and he has no idea of competition, but he is enamored with them. His favorite (like most adults who come over) is "the train game." And, no, that name isn't his toddler interpretation, it is what we call it because we always forget the real name.
Nicholas plays without the cards and the objective for him is to build train sequences where the color trains match the color of the route.
Drawing on his chalkboard is nothing new, but today he decided to pull over his bench to sit down to draw. In reality this doesn't mean anything, but it just makes the endeavor look so much more serious and studious.
Nicholas' school was closed yesterday for a professional development day (the "school year" starts Monday so they needed to get all the rooms transitioned) so he and Joe had a morning full of exciting activities and then came and met me on campus for lunch. Nicholas had a really great time seeing where Mommy works.
I think he only sat in this chair for about 20 seconds, though, because there was so much to explore. On a side note, this picture has convinced me that I need to reorganize my bookshelves. I have books on the other 3 and was using this one for more storage and/or decorative things since it isn't as easy to get to. But since this is the view from the doorway (and therefore the view for everyone who comes into my office), I may need to rethink. Also, I need to clean my desk.
And, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we went to another minor league game last night. Nicholas was super excited about going and thrilled to be there, but didn't sit still for as much of the game as last time and we left in the sixth inning (which was, to be fair, at his bedtime). When we walked in the gates Nicholas started giggling and then shouted, "Let's go find our seats!" and took off running, pulling me along with him. He was only able to really sit and focus on the game if he was being constantly engaged with it, so we spent a fair amount of time chanting "Hit that ball" when the Tornadoes players were up to bat. I think the people around us got sick of it, but Nicholas loved it.
So far this afternoon and evening we have had a lot of rain but nothing too bad. We are supposed to get the worst of whatever we end up with during the day tomorrow, so our plan is to just hang tight at home. Joe's train was obviously cancelled, so he won't leave for Philly until at least Monday morning. We are playing this all by ear.
Case in point: Nicholas has recently discovered the board games we keep on the living room bookshelves and wants to play any I'll let him. He or I make up modified rules and he has no idea of competition, but he is enamored with them. His favorite (like most adults who come over) is "the train game." And, no, that name isn't his toddler interpretation, it is what we call it because we always forget the real name.
 |
| From 2011 August |
Drawing on his chalkboard is nothing new, but today he decided to pull over his bench to sit down to draw. In reality this doesn't mean anything, but it just makes the endeavor look so much more serious and studious.
 |
| From 2011 August |
Nicholas' school was closed yesterday for a professional development day (the "school year" starts Monday so they needed to get all the rooms transitioned) so he and Joe had a morning full of exciting activities and then came and met me on campus for lunch. Nicholas had a really great time seeing where Mommy works.
 |
| From 2011 August |
And, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we went to another minor league game last night. Nicholas was super excited about going and thrilled to be there, but didn't sit still for as much of the game as last time and we left in the sixth inning (which was, to be fair, at his bedtime). When we walked in the gates Nicholas started giggling and then shouted, "Let's go find our seats!" and took off running, pulling me along with him. He was only able to really sit and focus on the game if he was being constantly engaged with it, so we spent a fair amount of time chanting "Hit that ball" when the Tornadoes players were up to bat. I think the people around us got sick of it, but Nicholas loved it.
 |
| From 2011 August |
So far this afternoon and evening we have had a lot of rain but nothing too bad. We are supposed to get the worst of whatever we end up with during the day tomorrow, so our plan is to just hang tight at home. Joe's train was obviously cancelled, so he won't leave for Philly until at least Monday morning. We are playing this all by ear.
Zooming Through the Sky ... Zooming Through the Sky ...
No, that's not a typo.
Nicholas has recently become obsessed with The Little Einsteins, thanks to a visit with friends who have an 18-month-old who was already an avid watcher. It's a goofy show, four little kids who fly around in a rocket (cleverly named "Rocket") and have adventures to famous strains of classical music, and through scenes riffing on famous artwork. Say, to make up an example, solving a puzzle using music by Dvorak while dancing through an Andy Warhol painting.
In other words, it can be a little trippy for 6am.
The good news is it's a decent show, I like the music and getting him exposed to some of the classical music (note to marketers: bull's eye!). And he's taken it upon himself to learn the theme song to the show. If you don't know it, take a moment to listen:
Catchy, right? And not the easiest thing to learn (at this point, he's even got the clapping down).
Which brings us to the problem. When he sings it, it doesn't ever end. It just loops back on itself ceaselessly. The first time, it's cute. The second time, well he's just excited. The fifth time?
By the fifth time, I'm left to wonder why kids' shows, given their obvious influence, don't include programming where the protagonists sit and quietly eat their lunch at the direction of their parents.
Nicholas has recently become obsessed with The Little Einsteins, thanks to a visit with friends who have an 18-month-old who was already an avid watcher. It's a goofy show, four little kids who fly around in a rocket (cleverly named "Rocket") and have adventures to famous strains of classical music, and through scenes riffing on famous artwork. Say, to make up an example, solving a puzzle using music by Dvorak while dancing through an Andy Warhol painting.
In other words, it can be a little trippy for 6am.
The good news is it's a decent show, I like the music and getting him exposed to some of the classical music (note to marketers: bull's eye!). And he's taken it upon himself to learn the theme song to the show. If you don't know it, take a moment to listen:
Catchy, right? And not the easiest thing to learn (at this point, he's even got the clapping down).
Which brings us to the problem. When he sings it, it doesn't ever end. It just loops back on itself ceaselessly. The first time, it's cute. The second time, well he's just excited. The fifth time?
By the fifth time, I'm left to wonder why kids' shows, given their obvious influence, don't include programming where the protagonists sit and quietly eat their lunch at the direction of their parents.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thought for the Day
There are times when you can protect your kids from harm.
And then there are times when they walk head-first into a living room wall because they were looking down at a puzzle piece in their hand.
When the latter happens, the best course of action is to get an ice pack, soothe the frightened child, and make sure to wait until you're out of sight to burst out laughing.
And then there are times when they walk head-first into a living room wall because they were looking down at a puzzle piece in their hand.
When the latter happens, the best course of action is to get an ice pack, soothe the frightened child, and make sure to wait until you're out of sight to burst out laughing.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Language!
Two quick notes on Nicholas' language development:
First, he's gotten very good with adverbs: he knows the correct use of "already," "anymore," and the like, and puts them into his sentences comfortably.
Second, he knows how to use "oy." It's kind of hilarious, actually, watching him carry his box of Legos over to the shelf to put them away, and muttering to himself, "oy ... oy ... oy."
I'm a very proud father.
First, he's gotten very good with adverbs: he knows the correct use of "already," "anymore," and the like, and puts them into his sentences comfortably.
Second, he knows how to use "oy." It's kind of hilarious, actually, watching him carry his box of Legos over to the shelf to put them away, and muttering to himself, "oy ... oy ... oy."
I'm a very proud father.
Monday, August 22, 2011
From Nicholas' Eyes
As I think we've mentioned before, we got Nicholas a camera for his birthday. He goes in spurts in his use of it, but in the past couple weeks he has been taking a bunch. And actually started framing things a little more carefully.
After he seemed to take some decent shots when Mike and Melinda were here, Melinda reminded me in a comment that I hadn't looked at how they turned out. So I uploaded all his pictures (almost 500). Of these I went through and deleted about half, which were pictures of carpet or blank white squares that I assume means he had the camera in a weird mode. I have posted the 22 best in a special folder in the Gallery. As you can see, I am using the term "best" in a very relative manner.
The first few are from May or June, when there were a lot of self portraits (or partial portraits) because the camera was either pointed at his face or straight down at the ground.
For example:
The pictures from the last couple weeks capture his efforts to photograph the people who have come to visit and his tours walking around the apartment with his camera. I'm not sure whether the things in the apartment were being intentionally captured or just happened to get in front of the little boy walking around clicking the button. But, either way, they give you a glimpse of the apartment through Nicholas' eyes.
A couple examples:
For the whole tour, check out the album.
After he seemed to take some decent shots when Mike and Melinda were here, Melinda reminded me in a comment that I hadn't looked at how they turned out. So I uploaded all his pictures (almost 500). Of these I went through and deleted about half, which were pictures of carpet or blank white squares that I assume means he had the camera in a weird mode. I have posted the 22 best in a special folder in the Gallery. As you can see, I am using the term "best" in a very relative manner.
The first few are from May or June, when there were a lot of self portraits (or partial portraits) because the camera was either pointed at his face or straight down at the ground.
For example:
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| From Nicholas Camera |
The pictures from the last couple weeks capture his efforts to photograph the people who have come to visit and his tours walking around the apartment with his camera. I'm not sure whether the things in the apartment were being intentionally captured or just happened to get in front of the little boy walking around clicking the button. But, either way, they give you a glimpse of the apartment through Nicholas' eyes.
A couple examples:
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| From Nicholas Camera |
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| From Nicholas Camera |
For the whole tour, check out the album.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Christmas is Coming
Grandma Alice would be proud.
Nicholas has been going on and on the past few days about Christmas. He keeps asking if he can "make Christmas." Since this first started when he was looking at pictures of decorating last year's Christmas tree, I presume this is what he means by "making Christmas." He has also mentioned Santa Claus. No reference to presents yet, though.
We have been stalling him by telling him that he can indeed help make Christmas, but not until it is cold outside. Now that we're in New England, that buys us until, what, the beginning of October?
Nicholas has been going on and on the past few days about Christmas. He keeps asking if he can "make Christmas." Since this first started when he was looking at pictures of decorating last year's Christmas tree, I presume this is what he means by "making Christmas." He has also mentioned Santa Claus. No reference to presents yet, though.
We have been stalling him by telling him that he can indeed help make Christmas, but not until it is cold outside. Now that we're in New England, that buys us until, what, the beginning of October?
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Overheard on the monitor
From a little boy who is supposed to be sleeping:
. . .
Grandma Alice and Grandpa Richard.
Who are my aunts and uncles? Aunt Melinda and Uncle Mike.
I went pee pee in the potty. Watch Little Einsteins and eat my special treat.
Super fast!
[Unintelligible whispering]
. . .
Grandma Alice and Grandpa Richard.
Who are my aunts and uncles? Aunt Melinda and Uncle Mike.
I went pee pee in the potty. Watch Little Einsteins and eat my special treat.
Super fast!
[Unintelligible whispering]
Pizza Day!
Nicholas can now spell his very first word, even if he doesn't realize that's what he's doing.
What's the word? Well isn't it obvious? PIZZA!
You see, every Wednesday at his new school is "pizza day." Mommy and Daddy like it because it saves us the trouble of putting together lunch. Nicholas likes it because he gets pizza and there's a song that goes with it. Or at least there is now, since he came home Wednesday afternoon happily singing the song over and over again.
Here are the lyrics, and you should think of the refrain from "B-I-N-G-O" for the tune:
P, I, Z-Z-A,
P, I, Z-Z-A,
P, I, Z-Z-A,
Wednesday is Pizza Day!
Woohoo!
So he knows how to spell one word. Of course, when he sings he slurs just a bit, and so what comes out phonetically is "Pee, zeye, zee zee ay." He'll get there though. And it makes him pretty happy to sing it, so who cares really.
What's the word? Well isn't it obvious? PIZZA!
You see, every Wednesday at his new school is "pizza day." Mommy and Daddy like it because it saves us the trouble of putting together lunch. Nicholas likes it because he gets pizza and there's a song that goes with it. Or at least there is now, since he came home Wednesday afternoon happily singing the song over and over again.
Here are the lyrics, and you should think of the refrain from "B-I-N-G-O" for the tune:
P, I, Z-Z-A,
P, I, Z-Z-A,
P, I, Z-Z-A,
Wednesday is Pizza Day!
Woohoo!
So he knows how to spell one word. Of course, when he sings he slurs just a bit, and so what comes out phonetically is "Pee, zeye, zee zee ay." He'll get there though. And it makes him pretty happy to sing it, so who cares really.
Potty First
Because this blog has become our only record of Nicholas' childhood, I am noting here for myself that this morning Nicholas used the potty for the first time. No, we are not starting potty training for real (I simply cannot handle one more thing this fall and none of the other things on my plate are negotiable), but he sometimes likes to sit on the potty and today for the first time he actually did something while there.
And what did he choose for his treat? Vegetable sticks (basically baked chips made with a tiny bit of veggies in addition to the potato flour so they can claim to be healthier.)
And what did he choose for his treat? Vegetable sticks (basically baked chips made with a tiny bit of veggies in addition to the potato flour so they can claim to be healthier.)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Week in Review
Where are the weeks going? Somehow the summer has disappeared. Joe leaves in a week and classes start in two. I have faculty meetings three days next week. And, not surprisingly, my stress level is quickly heading towards the roof.
But this week we continued to revel in summer (or exist in denial).
On Monday we kept Nicholas home from school so he could see Mike and Melinda when they stopped by to visit for a couple hours on their drive home from New Hampshire. And boy did that little boy have fun! He asks for Uncle Mike and Aunt Melinda all the time, so this was such a fun treat.
Nicholas' favorite part of the visit was building very tall towers out of blocks.
And Aunt Melinda built a zoo for his animals, which he has been playing with all week.
I then skipped town for three days to go to New York on a quick research trip, while Joe held down the fort. While this was work and much needed work, it was a complete detour from class prep, and something I can really only do during the summer.
And now we're getting down to business. I think I have to start working during weekend naps and evenings starting this weekend. And the choas of the semester starts Monday, even if classes don't start for two more weeks.
But this week we continued to revel in summer (or exist in denial).
On Monday we kept Nicholas home from school so he could see Mike and Melinda when they stopped by to visit for a couple hours on their drive home from New Hampshire. And boy did that little boy have fun! He asks for Uncle Mike and Aunt Melinda all the time, so this was such a fun treat.
Nicholas' favorite part of the visit was building very tall towers out of blocks.
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| From 2011 August |
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| From 2011 August |
And Aunt Melinda built a zoo for his animals, which he has been playing with all week.
I then skipped town for three days to go to New York on a quick research trip, while Joe held down the fort. While this was work and much needed work, it was a complete detour from class prep, and something I can really only do during the summer.
And now we're getting down to business. I think I have to start working during weekend naps and evenings starting this weekend. And the choas of the semester starts Monday, even if classes don't start for two more weeks.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Mini golf, puppets, and a haircut
My titles may not be clever or creative, but at least they are descriptive.
Yesterday while Stacy and Paul were gone all day at a wedding, we had a pretty low-key day of hanging out at home and running errands. Included in these errands was getting Nicholas a haircut, which was only marginally successful. Not only did Nicholas go so absolutely ballistic that the guy eventually gave up and we had to finish trimming around the ears and neck with Joe's razor, but Nicholas' hair is way shorter than it has ever been or than we'd like. But at least hopefully this means that we won't have to get it cut for awhile. Is it just me or does the haircut make him look much older?
Here Nicholas is showing off the puppets he and I made yesterday morning while Joe and I were trying to buy ourselves a little more downtime at home. One is obviously turned around the wrong way.
Today (after church and a special doughnut treat for being downright angelic in church) we went mini golfing at the place around the corner from our apartment.
11 am on a Sunday is apparently the perfect time to go because there were so few people there that we could take up multiple holes, take our time, etc.
Nicholas had a great time hitting the ball in the hole, although he almost always set his ball just 3-4 inches away from the hole.
Unless he had help from Mommy, of course.
Most of the time he was content to use the little plastic club they gave him.
But about 2/3 of the way through, he discovered the grown up clubs. And there was no going back.
He was very well-behaved and had a lot of fun for an hour. But at about hole 15, he got bored and became difficult. But overall, a great time, and he has been talking about it all evening.
Yesterday while Stacy and Paul were gone all day at a wedding, we had a pretty low-key day of hanging out at home and running errands. Included in these errands was getting Nicholas a haircut, which was only marginally successful. Not only did Nicholas go so absolutely ballistic that the guy eventually gave up and we had to finish trimming around the ears and neck with Joe's razor, but Nicholas' hair is way shorter than it has ever been or than we'd like. But at least hopefully this means that we won't have to get it cut for awhile. Is it just me or does the haircut make him look much older?
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| From 2011 August |
Here Nicholas is showing off the puppets he and I made yesterday morning while Joe and I were trying to buy ourselves a little more downtime at home. One is obviously turned around the wrong way.
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| From 2011 August |
Today (after church and a special doughnut treat for being downright angelic in church) we went mini golfing at the place around the corner from our apartment.
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| From 2011 August |
11 am on a Sunday is apparently the perfect time to go because there were so few people there that we could take up multiple holes, take our time, etc.
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| From 2011 August |
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| From 2011 August |
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| From 2011 August |
Nicholas had a great time hitting the ball in the hole, although he almost always set his ball just 3-4 inches away from the hole.
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| From 2011 August |
Unless he had help from Mommy, of course.
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| From 2011 August |
Most of the time he was content to use the little plastic club they gave him.
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| From 2011 August |
But about 2/3 of the way through, he discovered the grown up clubs. And there was no going back.
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| From 2011 August |
He was very well-behaved and had a lot of fun for an hour. But at about hole 15, he got bored and became difficult. But overall, a great time, and he has been talking about it all evening.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Lexington and Concord
Stacy and Paul are in town for a wedding this weekend and we're enjoying the bonus time with them.
We sent Nicholas to daycare yesterday and the 4 of us spent the day at Lexington and Concord.
But, don't worry, Nicholas got a souvenir:
Nicholas is so happy having them here:
We sent Nicholas to daycare yesterday and the 4 of us spent the day at Lexington and Concord.
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| From 2011 August |
But, don't worry, Nicholas got a souvenir:
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| From 2011 August |
Nicholas is so happy having them here:
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| From 2011 August |
Monday, August 8, 2011
Take Me Out to the Ballgame . . . and the Zoo
You would think that going to the zoo would have been the highlight of Nicholas' weekend, but then we one-upped ourselves by taking him to a baseball game the following day.
In our efforts to explore our new surroundings and pile in all sorts of fun before Joe leaves for Philly, we spent Saturday morning at the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI and Sunday afternoon at a Worcester Tornadoes game. They were both activities that scored pretty high, high enough we plan to go back to each, but the humidity and scorching sun did make them a little less fun than otherwise.
We liked this zoo better than Franklin Park. The layout was better, there were more animals, and many of the animals were close, like we've gotten used to at the Baltimore Zoo.
As Joe said, you know it is a good zoo because we were at a zoo in the heat and he wasn't complaining. In fact, he was even smiling.
The baseball game was also fun, mostly because Nicholas actually got really into pieces of it. He sat and watched close to 2 innings and had enough fun searching for the mascot and eating stadium food that we stayed for the entire game. Yes, I am shocked too. And he can now identify the pitcher and batter and explain that the pitcher throws the ball and then the batter tries to hit it. He has no interest, however, in what happens after the batter hits the ball.
But, by far his favorite parts were the mascot, a dog named Twister
the hot dogs
and the clapping.
And, for some reason or another, a few innings after we had him pose for a couple pictures
he decided that we needed to do more, and went down to stand on the stairs and insisted I take a picture. (he's looking directly into the sun here)
He then made Joe join him
Not that I'm complaining or anything.
UPDATE (JOE): Sarah left out a very salient detail. Nicholas was very surprised to learn that everyone knows the words to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," but was overjoyed that we all got to sing it together at the 7th-inning stretch. So much so that we continued to sing it, over and over, until sometime in the bottom of the 8th (that's about 20-30 minutes for the non-baseball fans). And then we sang it several times on the car ride home. And again coming home from school this afternoon.
In our efforts to explore our new surroundings and pile in all sorts of fun before Joe leaves for Philly, we spent Saturday morning at the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI and Sunday afternoon at a Worcester Tornadoes game. They were both activities that scored pretty high, high enough we plan to go back to each, but the humidity and scorching sun did make them a little less fun than otherwise.
We liked this zoo better than Franklin Park. The layout was better, there were more animals, and many of the animals were close, like we've gotten used to at the Baltimore Zoo.
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| From 2011 August |
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| From 2011 August |
As Joe said, you know it is a good zoo because we were at a zoo in the heat and he wasn't complaining. In fact, he was even smiling.
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| From 2011 August |
The baseball game was also fun, mostly because Nicholas actually got really into pieces of it. He sat and watched close to 2 innings and had enough fun searching for the mascot and eating stadium food that we stayed for the entire game. Yes, I am shocked too. And he can now identify the pitcher and batter and explain that the pitcher throws the ball and then the batter tries to hit it. He has no interest, however, in what happens after the batter hits the ball.
 |
| From 2011 August |
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| From 2011 August |
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| From 2011 August |
But, by far his favorite parts were the mascot, a dog named Twister
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| From 2011 August |
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| From 2011 August |
the hot dogs
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| From 2011 August |
and the clapping.
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| From 2011 August |
And, for some reason or another, a few innings after we had him pose for a couple pictures
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| From 2011 August |
he decided that we needed to do more, and went down to stand on the stairs and insisted I take a picture. (he's looking directly into the sun here)
 |
| From 2011 August |
He then made Joe join him
 |
| From 2011 August |
Not that I'm complaining or anything.
UPDATE (JOE): Sarah left out a very salient detail. Nicholas was very surprised to learn that everyone knows the words to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," but was overjoyed that we all got to sing it together at the 7th-inning stretch. So much so that we continued to sing it, over and over, until sometime in the bottom of the 8th (that's about 20-30 minutes for the non-baseball fans). And then we sang it several times on the car ride home. And again coming home from school this afternoon.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
2 Going on 15
This morning as we were getting ready, I did something that I will admit was stupid, and I even knew it at the time.
I offered Nicholas an option.
And I paid for it.
He needed his teeth brushed and socks and shoes put on. So I asked him, "Teeth first or socks and shoes?
His reply: "Oh whatever."
Sigh. I didn't expect to have an apathetic teenager quite so soon.
(Of course, I should note that he's still very much a toddler. Based on my reacting to it, "oh whatever" has been his response to every question or comment addressed to him since then.)
I offered Nicholas an option.
And I paid for it.
He needed his teeth brushed and socks and shoes put on. So I asked him, "Teeth first or socks and shoes?
His reply: "Oh whatever."
Sigh. I didn't expect to have an apathetic teenager quite so soon.
(Of course, I should note that he's still very much a toddler. Based on my reacting to it, "oh whatever" has been his response to every question or comment addressed to him since then.)
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Thai Food
Note to self: Nicholas likes Mango Curry.
We had a delightful dinner out at a local Thai place, following a great experience at church where the learn to dress monkey we got for his newly designated "church bag" of toys was a hit and successfully kept him busy. Oh, and we went down to Rhode Island this morning to go to the zoo.
I may post more after I load pictures, but for now, time to go fold laundry.
We had a delightful dinner out at a local Thai place, following a great experience at church where the learn to dress monkey we got for his newly designated "church bag" of toys was a hit and successfully kept him busy. Oh, and we went down to Rhode Island this morning to go to the zoo.
I may post more after I load pictures, but for now, time to go fold laundry.
Friday, August 5, 2011
School Update
I know it isn't fair to write a post about Nicholas having a rough time at school and then not update for a long time. But I wanted to see how the whole week went before jinxing it.
So here is the update: he is doing better, although still has some trouble with dropoffs. But each day this week it got a little better, and he actually asks to go to the gym now.
One of the things I've been trying is to write a new script for dropoffs. Nicholas actually gave me the idea yesterday. When we turned onto the road 2 turns before his school he called out, per usual, "yay school!" (This is the turn that takes us out of the woods and into civilization, so even though it is two turns away, it seems like it is almost there.) Anyway, he then started talking about how his friends would be in the gym and when we got to school we'd go to his classroom to put his lunch away and then we'd go to the gym. And then he said, "And then I cry and go 'Mommy. Mommy. Mommy.'"
And lightbulb. He was totally aware of what he was doing and it had become part of his routine. So I suggested that instead of crying maybe he could try saying "Bye, Mommy, see you later." He was excited about this. And I asked him what I should say, letting him write my part of the script. He suggested "Mommy always comes back." So we practiced our exchange a couple times. When we got to his school we dropped his lunch off and as we were walking to the gym he practiced his line again. But as soon as we got to the gym he forgot and went right back to crying and whining for me. But he obviously wanted to go play, just didn't want me to leave, so he was still doing better than last week.
We tried again this morning and while he didn't say his line, I kept reciting it, and he did better, calling for me, but going to his teacher with no tears.
And then when I went to pick him up the first thing he said to me was, "Bye Mommy, see you later," which he exclaimed proudly as though he'd been waiting hours to show me. Had he been thinking all day about proving to me he could do it?
He then obliged when I had him tell Joe what he says when I drop him off, and when I asked him what Mommy says, he said, "I love you, Nicholas. See you later. Mommy always comes back." Heart melting.
We'll see what Monday brings.
So, anyway, he is doing better, and liking school during the day at least, even if he doesn't want me to go in the morning. He has developed relationships with many of his classmates, which is great to see when I go to pick him up and watch him playing with the other kids, creating games. And he comes home with new songs that he tells us he "learned at school."
Then again, the guilt isn't completely gone since tonight he told me "Mommy work when I cry." Based on the rest of the conversation we had when I asked him about it, it was pretty clear that what he was talking about was that I am at work when he is crying for me at school. His teachers at this school apparently tell them that their parents can't come because they are working when a kid is upset or calling for a parent. Nicholas never had that association before--school was just where he went, there was no relationship with me going to work.
I mean, I know he was going to figure it out eventually, but I am not happy. It is one of a number of things I am not thrilled about with this school, but that aren't actually bad enough to take him out, especially since we just made him adjust and since we're hoping to get him into the preschool on campus this winter or spring, which means yet another transition. I miss his school in Maryland. Ms. Jamie and Ms. Hilary never would have told him such a thing. They would have cuddled and snuggled him and made it all better. But, then again, he didn't cry for me there to begin with.
So here is the update: he is doing better, although still has some trouble with dropoffs. But each day this week it got a little better, and he actually asks to go to the gym now.
One of the things I've been trying is to write a new script for dropoffs. Nicholas actually gave me the idea yesterday. When we turned onto the road 2 turns before his school he called out, per usual, "yay school!" (This is the turn that takes us out of the woods and into civilization, so even though it is two turns away, it seems like it is almost there.) Anyway, he then started talking about how his friends would be in the gym and when we got to school we'd go to his classroom to put his lunch away and then we'd go to the gym. And then he said, "And then I cry and go 'Mommy. Mommy. Mommy.'"
And lightbulb. He was totally aware of what he was doing and it had become part of his routine. So I suggested that instead of crying maybe he could try saying "Bye, Mommy, see you later." He was excited about this. And I asked him what I should say, letting him write my part of the script. He suggested "Mommy always comes back." So we practiced our exchange a couple times. When we got to his school we dropped his lunch off and as we were walking to the gym he practiced his line again. But as soon as we got to the gym he forgot and went right back to crying and whining for me. But he obviously wanted to go play, just didn't want me to leave, so he was still doing better than last week.
We tried again this morning and while he didn't say his line, I kept reciting it, and he did better, calling for me, but going to his teacher with no tears.
And then when I went to pick him up the first thing he said to me was, "Bye Mommy, see you later," which he exclaimed proudly as though he'd been waiting hours to show me. Had he been thinking all day about proving to me he could do it?
He then obliged when I had him tell Joe what he says when I drop him off, and when I asked him what Mommy says, he said, "I love you, Nicholas. See you later. Mommy always comes back." Heart melting.
We'll see what Monday brings.
So, anyway, he is doing better, and liking school during the day at least, even if he doesn't want me to go in the morning. He has developed relationships with many of his classmates, which is great to see when I go to pick him up and watch him playing with the other kids, creating games. And he comes home with new songs that he tells us he "learned at school."
Then again, the guilt isn't completely gone since tonight he told me "Mommy work when I cry." Based on the rest of the conversation we had when I asked him about it, it was pretty clear that what he was talking about was that I am at work when he is crying for me at school. His teachers at this school apparently tell them that their parents can't come because they are working when a kid is upset or calling for a parent. Nicholas never had that association before--school was just where he went, there was no relationship with me going to work.
I mean, I know he was going to figure it out eventually, but I am not happy. It is one of a number of things I am not thrilled about with this school, but that aren't actually bad enough to take him out, especially since we just made him adjust and since we're hoping to get him into the preschool on campus this winter or spring, which means yet another transition. I miss his school in Maryland. Ms. Jamie and Ms. Hilary never would have told him such a thing. They would have cuddled and snuggled him and made it all better. But, then again, he didn't cry for me there to begin with.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Backseat Driver
Nicholas has been watching us drive and he thinks he has it all figured out. And he is eager to give it a go. (Have I mentioned that he is in an extreme "I'm do it" stage? Out. of. control.)
His formula?
Turn the key and turn on the music.
That's it, folks. Driving 101 according to Nicholas. (Although, to be fair, even though he doesn't include it in his formula when he talks about driving, he does also know what each color on the traffic light means and informs you of what you should be doing. I've been trying the hopeless task of explaining to him about right on red because I get yelled at that "no, red means stop. When green then go!" as I turn right at red lights.)
The other day when he insisted that it was his turn to drive and explained to me how it works, I told him that he couldn't drive yet because he had to get big and tall first. He talked about that a bit, but basically accepted it.
This evening we were sitting and talking and he came back to the subject of driving.
"I drive to school. First I get big and tall. Then I drive to school. Turn key and turn on music. Then drive to school. Mommy and Daddy big and tall. I still a little boy. Now I big and tall. I drive to school."
Not quite yet, buddy. Please stay a little boy just a bit longer for me. And if you could stop having a meltdown every time I dare to help you with anything, that'd be great.
His formula?
Turn the key and turn on the music.
That's it, folks. Driving 101 according to Nicholas. (Although, to be fair, even though he doesn't include it in his formula when he talks about driving, he does also know what each color on the traffic light means and informs you of what you should be doing. I've been trying the hopeless task of explaining to him about right on red because I get yelled at that "no, red means stop. When green then go!" as I turn right at red lights.)
The other day when he insisted that it was his turn to drive and explained to me how it works, I told him that he couldn't drive yet because he had to get big and tall first. He talked about that a bit, but basically accepted it.
This evening we were sitting and talking and he came back to the subject of driving.
"I drive to school. First I get big and tall. Then I drive to school. Turn key and turn on music. Then drive to school. Mommy and Daddy big and tall. I still a little boy. Now I big and tall. I drive to school."
Not quite yet, buddy. Please stay a little boy just a bit longer for me. And if you could stop having a meltdown every time I dare to help you with anything, that'd be great.
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