"I'll fix you. What's your problem?"

Last Saturday Ted got to take Andrew to "touch a truck" where there was all kinds of tractors, machines, commercial trucks, etc. Andrew had a blast climbing in them and on them, and also experienced his first funnel cake.
Saturday afternoon someone came over to jump in our very cold pool. She didn't feel the water, just jumped in and decided it was much colder than she expected, and colder than 66 degrees sounds.  Then Ted plunged in, followed by Andrew. As soon as Andrew hit the water he let out a long yell, but then was ready to do it again.  None of them lasted too long in the water, but Andrew enjoyed getting to do a polar bear plunge.  The pool was set up just in time for the weather to get too cool for swimming - so they were the first ones ever to swim in the new pool!

Tuesday I was really tired when I had to go pick up Andrew from school. He never wants to leave but usually when I explain that it's time to go home, all the kids go home, that he can come back another day, and it's time to say goodbye to Spring Hollow - he'll at least comply and come. Not Tuesday. I was too tired to battle it. So I had our usual conversation and he refused to come. I took his lunch bags and backpack to the car and came back in. He never noticed I was gone. I got down next to him and made him look at me, "Andrew, it is time to go home. I am leaving, and I would like you to come with me."   .... "No."    So I got up and headed for the door. I paused for just a moment at the door, he looked at me, and I went out.  Then he came running out bawling because he thought I was going to leave him.  I didn't say anything, just scooped him up and walked to the car as he cried.  I got him settled in his seat and got him to calm down and use his words to tell me what he was feeling. Then I explained to him that I would never leave him here, but I was going to sit outside and wait because I was too tired and overwhelmed to force him to come. That he needs to listen and obey. That the next time I ask him to come - he needs to do it.  He listened, took a deep breath and said,"Okay. Okay mommy."   We'll see how long it takes before we have that situation again.

Wednesday, I waited until the last minute to get him dressed and tell him we were going to Let It Shine. He burst into tears and asked if I was going to leave him there.  I assured him I was going to stay, that it is a safe place, and that Ms. Ray is there to help him. I suggested that maybe today mommy would get to help too.  He kept telling me that he was scared of the zip line and the balance beams and that he'd fall and get hurt and have to go to the hospital. I assured him that wouldn't happen. I told him that if he doesn't know how to do something, he asks Ms Ray to help him and wait for her to be able to.  Once we got there, he was very clingy. He wouldn't even sit next to me - he had to sit on me.  I spoke to Ms. Ray and she said this time I could stay with him and help him get comfortable. So we did some stretches and then slowly guided him to try things by feeling them first and talking about them. It was fantastic!! And it turned out - he was the only one who showed up for class today! So he had me and Ms. Ray all to himself.  He jumped in the soft foam block pit, on all the trampolines (on the long one he'd hop all the way to the end and then leap onto the soft pad doing a complete bellyflop faceplant and then getting up laughing), did somersaults and rolls on the wedges, stood on his hands upside down with his feet on the wall,  hung on the bars, did some kicks and jumps, etc. He did great!  He even walked on the balance beams all by himself a few times.  We're hoping that he'll feel more comfortable with all of it now and won't need me by his side for all the classes.
  Oh, and during his playtime at gymnastics, he told Ms. Ray that he was born in Wisconsin. I said, "No you weren't! You were born in Nashville."  He said, "No, I was born in Wisconsin."  "No honey, I was there. You were born in Nashville."   Then Ms. Ray told him she was born in Thailand. He said, "I want to live in Thailand."  Then started saying something about his grandma living in California.

 I had a doctors appointment after gymnastics. He was great there too.  Once the nurse left, he got on the doctors chair and said, "I'll fix you. What's your problem?"  LOL