A Day of Firsts

What a big day for our family yesterday! Lucy was elated to have her first official day of preschool! Since Tommy went to the same school and she also attended Vacation Bible School there this summer, Lucy just marched into the classroom with her head up and no nerves at all. I had to steal a kiss because she was so eager to get to socializing....err, work. :)


As I've thought about this transition for Lucy over the past weeks, I've continually marveled at how different she is than Tommy at this juncture. Most people I know seem to agree that there is a general difference between boys and girls at this age: girls seems more ready to color and perform in learning the writing act of letters and numbers, while boys are a bit more antsy and less willing to sit down for traditional academics.

I can only hope for Lucy that school is everything it can be---an inspiration to learn continually, to be the best you can be, which is always changing.


On that note, I went through quite a change last night myself in putting on a black polo shirt and training in for my first job since I had the kids. I picked up a gig at our gym, working part-time at the information & front desks. I have to admit that this technical "work" is really a break from being a mom! It was actually refreshing to clock in and talk to adults about something non-kid for a while last night.

I've been a member at our gym for 4 years, so transitioning into employment there is really natural, on one hand. On the other hand, I wondered how a work uniform would change my experience and community there. It's always interesting to see how people treat you when you are an employee providing a service. I suppose there will be many more observations about that over the coming months.

As I was swiping membership cards last night, John took Tommy and Lucy over to the first night of skating lessons. Lucy was a level ahead of Tommy since she started this summer, but she was pretty disappointed because Tommy and cousin Walt got to be in the beginner level together. Hopefully everyone will ready for open skating at Uncle Brian's home ice rink this winter.

K is for Kindergarten

Dear Tommy,

Today is your first day of kindergarten! Unbelievable. I bet that by now, you're off of the bus and already listening to Mrs. P's directions for the day. How did you get so old so quickly? And yet still, how can you only be 5 years old? Grandpa and I often marvel at how it seems like you've been around forever.

We started the day with K for kindergarten pancakes, and I scrambled up some eggs for a little protein alongside them. Then it was Tommy's Choice field trip, and off to the Arboretum for 3 rounds of the hedge maze and some playtime in their stick park. We were there for almost 2 hours! I guess kindergarten isn't going to tear you too far away from me if we still have the whole morning together.


Daddy surprised us all by driving home over lunch to see you off on the big yellow bus. That was the hard part! There was just something monumental about letting you get into a huge vehicle of transportation. And yet, of course, you were brave and ready and I was overcome with emotion. You just plopped down in the window seat next to Michael and probably thought more about your water bottle than about the vastness of kindergarten.

What are you learning right now?

There are so many things about you that challenge me as a mother, Tom. You are proud and stubborn and brilliant and creative. You are kind and fickle and prone to tantrums. You are full of energy and a leader. You are cautious and very aware of danger, but lately, you've realized the value of risk once in a while.

I had a good laugh this morning when you presented an impromptu skit to me at the Arboretum...you seemed to read the lines off a script in your mind. You paused for comedic effect and struck a pose when necessary. You pulled Lucy and Jimmy into the act and let them know just what they should be doing.



What will you grow to become over the next years, Tommy? I guess only time will tell. Use your good heart from God, kiddo. It won't lead you astray.

I love you and am of course waiting for the Seal bus to deliver you home.

Mom

Just a Stroll

Took a walk with my littlest guy tonight.  He sucked his thumb and held onto Lion as we strolled around the marshlands.  Jimmy is such a sweetheart.  He squealed with delight over passing birds and puppies and even sang a few Jimmy-original tunes.  A little walk reminds me how important it is to appreciate my children individually whenever I can.

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What Am I Doing Awake at this Hour? A Rant.

Actually, it's only 11:06 but I think my blog publishes with false times.  Still, for me it's late.  At this house, John and I look at each other and roll our eyes when someone suggests watching an hour-long show starting at 9:15.  Not. Gonna. Happen.

What's happened to us? 

It's sleep deprivation.  Five long years of sleep deprivation.  In fact, the number of non-interrupted nights of sleep I personally have had in the last 5 years can be counted as 5, and that's thanks to my sister, who baby-sat my puking kids while we were in San Francisco.

Actually, scratch that.  I was definitely not sleeping well then, either, because I was pregnant and puking myself.  And had shin splints from walking the hills that wouldn't quit.

Not really a lot to say tonight.  The kids and I watched Shark Tales, and John went out to the inaugural meeting of Dad's Club.  (I've received several iPhoto updates, and it looks like he is having a great time.)

It kills me that my youngest baby can sit on my lap and watch a movie.  Can say "scary!" when it's scary.  And "fish in water!" when it's just ordinary.  He's a baby, isn't he?  Anything under 2 qualifies, right? 

After I helped the kids brush their teeth, cleaned up (another) poop mess, wiped down the kitchen counters, and sighed, I opened Lucy's door and threatened to take Bunny Baby away for the night if she didn't get back in bed.  (It turns out she was merely getting her Barbies ready for bed...don't I know that they also need pajamas.)

And then I sat down to watch The Ugly Truth, which wasn't that great by Oscar standards, but made me laugh. 

I'm still wondering how my iTunes got erased from the computer, and I have a sneaking suspicion that my teenage siblings-in-law are to blame. 

But this is small stuff.  In the big picture, as my Dad says, I'm on easy street now.

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Yumtimes

Just ate at Brasa tonight with Miss Kate. She's been trying to make this happen for months, and now I know why:

Fabulousness.

I can still taste the spicey tangy beef, the salty kickin' pork. The sangria that was actually authentic. A zippy bite that kept me going back for another sip. (And then, somehow, another and another.)

Tonight was the perfect equilibrium of food and long-awaited conversation. There is something about Kate that always leaves me thinking. Maybe it's the way she refills my sangria glass when I'm not looking...

But no, not just that. It's also the way Katy sees the world through those turquoise-colored spectacles. She inspires me to be myself...to know I am good enough as myself, but that my self may be ever-evolving.

3 Things About My Childhood

1. When I was a kid, I idolized my older brother. I remember distinctly how quick-witted he was as a teen. And I remember wondering when, if ever, I'd develop the ability to deliver comebacks like him at lightening speed.

2. I was very curious as a child about my older sister, whom I really didn't know that well. Most of the personal information I knew about Sarah was gathered by reading her diary. Consequently, I keep my own diary in a locked file cabinet.

3. I used to hide in the cabinets of our downstairs bar for hours, pretending I was a character from The Box Car Children.

Smartie Pants

It's really not that polite to brag about my kid, but sometimes a mother just has to beam.

"Hey Mom, guess what 2 plus 2 plus 1 is?"

"What is it, Tom?"

"You have to guess, but I'll give you a hint. It starts with an F."

Little Old Selfless Me

I decided to relent to John's plea and switch his clothing to the other side of the closet.

And now that it's done, I realize that John really got the rotten end of the deal in the beginning.

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Let's Play Dictionary

Lunchtime conversation is generally enlightening with 3 children under 5:

Tommy: I have a paaaaar-ty!  I have a paaaar-ty!

Me:  Tom, that's boasting.  It's not very nice to your sister.

Tommy:  What's boasting?

Me: It's when you make someone else feel badly because you get to do something special.  Like if someone at school gets to be the line leader, and you don't....and he says, "I get to be the line leader and you don't!  I get to be the line leader and you don't!"  How would you feel if someone did that?

Tommy:  Bad.

Lucy:  That's roasting. 

Tommy: Boasting!

Lucy:  That's roasting.  Roasting stinks up.

Tommy:  It's BOASTING, Lucy!

Lucy:  Yeah.  That stinks up.

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My Lu

She's almost three.

She's the girl you hardly ever see without a tuft of blue in front of her face.

She's the one who will pipe up to tell you that she is a big kid.

She's the one who is dressed in the morning in pink from head to toe.

Except maybe grumbling a little because it's hard to put on a sock that is inside-out.

She's the one who notices the snow sparkling in the sunshine.

And who sings about shaking away her sillies at school.

She is always looking to grow up, up, up like Tom

Except when she's looking for snuggle or a nursery rhyme like Jim.

She is wearing glittery dancer shoes, and yet playing basketball at the gym with 20 boys.

She is telling you proudly that she goes potty by herself.

She asks you to read just one more book, even thought she's so tired.

She wonders when "Grandpa and Grandpa" will be here to visit.

She's ready to do projects and bake cookies and use a scissors.

And to ride a bike a year before the rest.

Lucy.

She has made a claim on this world,

But she's not going to let us in on the secret yet.

Her life is just unfolding, just beginning, at 3 years old.

A Winter Note for Jimmy

Dear Jimmy,

It's one of those days today.  The washing machine and dryer aren't working, and I made it to the gym with all you kids only to realize I had no tennis shoes.  The snow outside is icky and the sky is dismal.  But actually, despite all these things, I'm having a great day. 

You are at the sweetest age right now, baby.  You're actually anything BUT a true baby:  your skinny legs are long and hang all the way to the floor when you're seated on the rocking horse.  You run at the speed of light, and you've recently claimed your spot at the kitchen table in a booster seat.  You're ready to run with the pack.

My favorite part about your stage, though, is how much you're learning to say each day.  Everything I say----from "light saber" to "potty check" to "Shoot!  Clean it up!," you parrot back.  This stage really keeps a mom on guard! 

You're developing a newfound relationship with Tommy as a playmate lately.  Tom loves to grab ahold of you and seat you in between his legs to go down the slide together  He also loves to sing you songs to calm you down. 

Lucy, too, loves to make you giggle.  But I think at this juncture, she has a bit of jealousy towards her baby brother.  You're accomplishing so many "firsts" as a baby, and Tom has so many privileges because he is the oldest.  Sometimes Lucy can't help but want to reclaim the booster seat for herself.  It's something physical that represents her place in our family.

Our family. 

When I look back at pictures from a year or 18 months ago, Jim, I can't believe what John and I undertook.  The three of you!  Every minute and every outing seemed like climbing a mountain.  I can remember the very rare occasions when I'd take you all to the grocery store.  I just dreaded the checkout area, because it was going to be the inevitable scene of a meltdown.  Or twenty.  There were potty accidents and poopy diapers and screams and shoes to tie and the "Why?" phase.  It all just happened at once!

And now, I'm not sure if it's that you're growing older as a group or that we're finally settled into  our home…but somehow, it's gotten easier.  There are moments in the day when I actually sit down and think about what is next for us and for me. 

What is next?

Don't get me wrong, Jim.  It's still chaos over here.  It's just a smidgen less chaos than has become habit.  At Rainbow Foods the other morning, I was carrying you on my hip and gripping Lucy's hand as she jumped into sloppy snow puddles and directing Tom to stay close because cars were coming.  I felt confident and on top of managing you kids.  And yet still, a middle-aged woman rolled down the window of her Suburban to tell me her kids were 21, 19, and 18…and I would make it through these days. 

I know I will.  I know I can.  But on days like today, when your hair smells so sweet and you lay on the floor in the morning waiting for a "kiss (a)ttack!", I'm just enjoying the moments God has made room for in my life.

I love you, Jimmy.

Your, Mama

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An Early Meeting

I sat at the appointment, pretending to read a laminated list of thoughts regarding early childhood screening.  Tommy, a few feet away, squirmed and seemed to do everything he could to NOT answer the simple questions the evaluator posed.

I felt myself flush----not with anger, but with embarrassment.

Why does my kid try to do exactly the opposite of what adults want?  Why couldn't he answer the questions with enthusiasm and interest? 

Why can't he just do things my way?

The ten minutes it took for the evaluation seemed like an eternity to me.  Instead of standing still and raising one foot, Tommy had to attempt to hop around the room like a crazy man.  Instead of plainly listing the qualities of the red ball, he had to persistently bounce it practically in the face of the administrator. 

I was told to remain quiet, so as not to interfere with the testing.

Sometimes in the little and big moments of frustration, I forget that parenting Tommy is a joy overall.  Tommy's imagination and determination are gifts, but sometimes....like when I'm eager to get out the door and he is lost in space playing with lego men...I feel as if there must be no parent on earth with a child as resistant as mine.

I felt a little bit awful today because of the embarrassment that overcame me in that meeting.  How can I learn to embrace parenting my son, even when the job is so much more difficult than I'd imagined?

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