Andrew came home with a drawing last week that said, "My Family" but was only a drawing of himself.
Me: "I like your picture, you did a good job drawing yourself. Did you
mean to only draw you, or did you run out of time to draw mommy and
daddy?"
A: "I ran out of time."
M: "Would you like to finish it then? I can get your crayons"
A: "no, I like it with just me."
but he did tell my sister he deliberately only drew 4 fingers on one
hand because he's four years old. So that is him holding up 4 fingers.
We decided to buy Andrew an inflatable punching bag. Its the same height as him. We want him to have a safe outlet for getting out anxiety and anger and frustration. He LOVES it.
Tuesday evening daddy and I had an appointment out and didn't get back until after bedtime. He had asked Annelise to leave the door open so we could say goodnight to him. We snuck in even though it was quiet, but he suddenly sat up and said, "Arg! Shiver me timbers! I can't see ye without the light!" We all three started laughing as we also climbed into the bed with him to shower him with kisses. He asked me if I was feeling better and I said "yes, are you?" He said no. So I kissed his nose. His answer was still no, so daddy blew on his cheek. Still no. "Well what would make you feel better?" I asked. He said, "If you massage me when I get up." So I massaged his head and said goodnight.
Wednesday Andrew got up at 2am. Turned on the lights in the living room and kitchen. Found slippers we bought for him that he hadn't seen yet and tried them on. Took them off and played with some toys. Went potty. Then came knocking on our door. "Can you guys keep an eye on me in case I see another mouse?" ... "Andrew! It's 2 in the morning! Go back to bed!!" .. "why?" ... "Because - 2am is the time when everyone in the world should be sleeping. Go to sleep!" .. "okay." (he saw a mouse the other morning)
Wednesday evening he was playing on his electric keyboard. "Mom, since we have mice in here, I think we should play 'Three Blind Mice.'
Saturday we had a congregation get together. He started off playing football with Bruce Wright and daddy - loved it. Then we moved to the playground for a while. After dinner he liked throwing hedge apples in the ravine with other kids, then back to the playground we went. Then he got invited to play kick ball. That was pretty funny to watch. He liked kicking the dirt and watching the dust cloud billow at his feet. He did kick it and make it to first base without getting out, but someone else did. The next round they let him start at first and with the audience helping him know when to run - he made it all the way back home and scored a point for his team. They seemed to all have a blast.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
"Good call!"
Someone gave him some pajamas that are spaced themed and has tiny stars on it that glow in the dark. The first time he wore them, just a few minutes after putting him to bed, he called to us telling
us he didn't want to wear them. Why? "Because these stars do not turn off." (the glowing ones)
Last week we let him pick out a mask, and he chose Ironman. We went out to dinner and he was wearing a blanket tied around his neck as a cape, and his Ironman mask. He wore them very confidently.
We were invited to a kids Princess and Imagination party (that ended up getting postponed til Spring) so I ordered him Ironman and Spiderman costumes that came with masks and gloves. I hung them both out on the clothes line and then just waited for Andrew to see them hanging outside. I knew he'd be excited. I waited.. and waited. Finally, we dropped some hints and suggested he look outside. His face lit up, he gasped with his jaw dropped ... and then said, "Look at that moth!!" He instead became fascinated with a moth on the door. lol It wasn't until we suggested he GO outside to see the moth that he finally looked out just 10 feet past the door, straight in front of him, and said, "hey!! there's Ironman!" and he went out asking to wear them. We went out to dinner at Cracker Barrel with him dressed up as Spiderman, and put in our 'reservation.' So "Spiderman, table for 4" got called over the intercom.
Daddy has been trying to fix Andrew's "bed head" each morning before school. Tuesday when they were riding home, Ted said he had bed head again. "No daddy, I have school-head"
Wednesday was a difficult day for all of us for various reasons. Andrew had a complete meltdown in the car on the way home just because he had to wait his turn to talk. When we said it was his turn, he fell apart (overtired). Once home, he kept crying. Daddy talked with him and Andrew continued to cry. I got in bed next to him and sang to him and rubbed his head and arm. Once he calmed down we started talking.
He said, "Mom, things are not going well for me."
I told him, "I know. Things didn't go well for me today either. I'm very sad because one of my teachers wont be at school anymore."
"why not? Did she walk over to another school?"
"No, she doesn't have a job right now."
"I'll give her a job!"
"Yeah? What job would you give her?"
"Well, I'd give her your flashcards and she could build something. ... Or massage. She could massage."
"You'd pay her to come give you a massage? How much would you pay her?"
"Fifty dollars. .... Do I have fifty dollars? Is that all my money?"
Then he told me he had been crying because he was hungry. I told him that I knew he'd told me he was hungry, but because of how he was acting and crying, I couldn't give him a snack now. Because if I did, he'd learn that crying and fussing was a way to get what he wants, and it's not. That if he had handled himself differently, then I could have given him a snack when we got home. Amazingly, he accepted that.
Wednesday night Ted related an experience the teacher told him. During naptime, there was a little girl who would not obey the teacher or be quiet. Finally the teacher took her out of the room so everyone else could fall asleep. When she returned, Andrew said, "Good call! She was keeping everyone up?"
Daddy bought him two new books "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "A Light in the Attic" He likes the silly pictures in them. I'm hoping they'll read them together.
Friday at dinner, he asked for a drink. Ted started to get him a cup of water but Andrew started to flip out and whine and run from the table. I immediately halted him and reminded him of the experience Wednesday night where he didn't get what he wanted because of whining and crying. I asked him, "can you think of a better way to handle this situation?" He calmly used his words and said, "daddy, may I please have some juice instead of water?" Ted piped up "Because you asked so nicely, I will get you some juice."
Saturday afternoon the boys were chasing each other around the yard and playing ball. Andrew kept holding onto his britches while he ran and pulling them up higher a lot. A few minutes later, he was chasing daddy and all of a sudden his pants ended up around his ankles and he fell flat on the ground. The button had come out of the elastic hold that allows you to adjust the waist line. Good thing he had a long sweater on!
Saturday we went out to dinner at Frankie's Pizza and Grill. Andrew drummed up plenty of conversation with two of the waiters, and impressed them when he asked for jalapenos on his cheese pizza. Later our waiter, Danny, said, "you have a really bright little boy." I said, "you have no idea!" He said, 'yes I do, I have a 24 month old and an 8 month old'. Ted picked up the little dessert menu and handed it to Andrew and said, "Here, read this." Andrew thought he was getting to choose a dessert saying, "Hmmm, I'll have......" Then the waiter asked, "Can you read me the first one?" Andrew read it smoothly and perfectly - even 'liqueur' and the waiter was dumbfounded.
us he didn't want to wear them. Why? "Because these stars do not turn off." (the glowing ones)
Last week we let him pick out a mask, and he chose Ironman. We went out to dinner and he was wearing a blanket tied around his neck as a cape, and his Ironman mask. He wore them very confidently.
We were invited to a kids Princess and Imagination party (that ended up getting postponed til Spring) so I ordered him Ironman and Spiderman costumes that came with masks and gloves. I hung them both out on the clothes line and then just waited for Andrew to see them hanging outside. I knew he'd be excited. I waited.. and waited. Finally, we dropped some hints and suggested he look outside. His face lit up, he gasped with his jaw dropped ... and then said, "Look at that moth!!" He instead became fascinated with a moth on the door. lol It wasn't until we suggested he GO outside to see the moth that he finally looked out just 10 feet past the door, straight in front of him, and said, "hey!! there's Ironman!" and he went out asking to wear them. We went out to dinner at Cracker Barrel with him dressed up as Spiderman, and put in our 'reservation.' So "Spiderman, table for 4" got called over the intercom.
Daddy has been trying to fix Andrew's "bed head" each morning before school. Tuesday when they were riding home, Ted said he had bed head again. "No daddy, I have school-head"
Wednesday was a difficult day for all of us for various reasons. Andrew had a complete meltdown in the car on the way home just because he had to wait his turn to talk. When we said it was his turn, he fell apart (overtired). Once home, he kept crying. Daddy talked with him and Andrew continued to cry. I got in bed next to him and sang to him and rubbed his head and arm. Once he calmed down we started talking.
He said, "Mom, things are not going well for me."
I told him, "I know. Things didn't go well for me today either. I'm very sad because one of my teachers wont be at school anymore."
"why not? Did she walk over to another school?"
"No, she doesn't have a job right now."
"I'll give her a job!"
"Yeah? What job would you give her?"
"Well, I'd give her your flashcards and she could build something. ... Or massage. She could massage."
"You'd pay her to come give you a massage? How much would you pay her?"
"Fifty dollars. .... Do I have fifty dollars? Is that all my money?"
Then he told me he had been crying because he was hungry. I told him that I knew he'd told me he was hungry, but because of how he was acting and crying, I couldn't give him a snack now. Because if I did, he'd learn that crying and fussing was a way to get what he wants, and it's not. That if he had handled himself differently, then I could have given him a snack when we got home. Amazingly, he accepted that.
Wednesday night Ted related an experience the teacher told him. During naptime, there was a little girl who would not obey the teacher or be quiet. Finally the teacher took her out of the room so everyone else could fall asleep. When she returned, Andrew said, "Good call! She was keeping everyone up?"
Daddy bought him two new books "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "A Light in the Attic" He likes the silly pictures in them. I'm hoping they'll read them together.
Friday at dinner, he asked for a drink. Ted started to get him a cup of water but Andrew started to flip out and whine and run from the table. I immediately halted him and reminded him of the experience Wednesday night where he didn't get what he wanted because of whining and crying. I asked him, "can you think of a better way to handle this situation?" He calmly used his words and said, "daddy, may I please have some juice instead of water?" Ted piped up "Because you asked so nicely, I will get you some juice."
Saturday afternoon the boys were chasing each other around the yard and playing ball. Andrew kept holding onto his britches while he ran and pulling them up higher a lot. A few minutes later, he was chasing daddy and all of a sudden his pants ended up around his ankles and he fell flat on the ground. The button had come out of the elastic hold that allows you to adjust the waist line. Good thing he had a long sweater on!
Saturday we went out to dinner at Frankie's Pizza and Grill. Andrew drummed up plenty of conversation with two of the waiters, and impressed them when he asked for jalapenos on his cheese pizza. Later our waiter, Danny, said, "you have a really bright little boy." I said, "you have no idea!" He said, 'yes I do, I have a 24 month old and an 8 month old'. Ted picked up the little dessert menu and handed it to Andrew and said, "Here, read this." Andrew thought he was getting to choose a dessert saying, "Hmmm, I'll have......" Then the waiter asked, "Can you read me the first one?" Andrew read it smoothly and perfectly - even 'liqueur' and the waiter was dumbfounded.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Andrew IS strong
I forgot to mention that on Saturday I learned that our friend Jennifer Pingle had wrecked her truck and it caught on fire. She managed to get out before it blew up, and she had no scratches or breaks - but does have a concussion. After I told Ted about it, Andrew was asking questions. I said something about how the 'truck went up in flames' and he asked,"did it come back down?" lol
He also had asked me last week about chimneys and fire. He thought fire went up the chimney and I told him the fire stayed in the fireplace, but the smoke went up and out the chimney. He asked if it'd make the fire alarm go off and I said that the alarm is supposed to sound if the inside of the house fills up with smoke. It took a few times of me trying to explain it all before he totally got it.
Sunday October 6th, we were invited to attend a recorded viewing of the annual meeting of the Governing Body. Ours was for 3pm in Mt. Pleasant. We heard it was almost 4 hours long, so we let Andrew stay home with Annelise (attended Saturdays). He was very upset that we were going to the meeting without him. I'm sure he'd have done fine, it's just a long time to ask a little person to sit quietly. We all got the new release of the revised New World Translation Bible so I was a little bummed that he wasn't there to get his own at the same time. Soon though we can take him to the literature counter and he can get one there himself. We got home around 9pm and Annelise said that he requested she leave the bedroom door cracked open so that we can come in and kiss him goodnight.
Monday for family worship we wanted to talk to Andrew about Halloween. He already knew we didn't celebrate, but we were hoping to expound on why, and talk about the different aspects of it. He blew us away with how much he already knew. He told us that it was when people dressed up as witches and ghosts. We explained to him that ghosts aren't real, they're demons tricking people into thinking the dead are up walking around. He knew about the demons already so we questioned him about whether or not dead people can act or seem alive. So we asked him what happens when you die and he demonstrated for us that you make a gagging sound and fall to the ground. lol So we asked more questions and he told us the 'heart turns off' and he plugged his nose to stop breathing, you can't think or move, etc. He reminded us that Jehovah will bring us back to life - so we reminded him, that yes, that happens later after Jehovah restores Paradise. In the meantime, we have to make sure we are Jehovah's friend and not doing the things that makes Satan happy. He said something else that I can't remember. I told him that we don't have to worry about Satan and the demons though because Jehovah is stronger and more powerful, and He can protect us and take care of us and help us. But then we told him that if one of us dies, we know, that as long as we're doing good things Jehovah likes, then we will be together again in Paradise. I asked him if it was hard for him to not celebrate Halloween and he said yes. I told him I understood but that each time he doesn't dress up and go door to door for candy, and (he brought up christmas earlier as another trick Satan uses) not celebrate christmas and get together to give each other presents then, and each time he has a birthday with no party and cake - that we "make Satan mad" were his words but mine were "make Jehovah happy, and mommy, and daddy, and Annelise, and Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa, and Joy and Barry - and all our friends at the hall - HAPPY" We also reminded him that not everyone knows all of that - like the people at school and those who will ask him what he's going to be for halloween, but all the friends at the hall do know. We told him we were so proud of him and that he's a good boy.
Later he and I were playing dinosaurs and mine asked his, "What are you going to be for Halloween?" His dinosaur replied, "No! I don't do halloween!!" I had another dinosaur tell his, "I'm so proud of you" and give him kisses. Then our dinosaurs ran the warrior dash together. The second dash around, his dinosaur kicked mine. I started to pretend crying. He came running back to help my dinosaur up, ran and got a pretend bandaid for his leg, got a tissue to blow his nose, showed him where the sink was to wash his hands, and then they started to race back together. Then his dinosaur tripped and got hurt so mine had to get the bandaid, tissue, and help him wash hands. Then they finished the race side by side together. He's such a sweetie when he decides to be.
Sunday morning I let him help me juice. The machine got jammed on the carrots so I had to take it apart and clean it. I was having trouble getting it off. He said, "Do you want me to do that for you?" I told him it was nice of him to offer, but that I am stronger than him so he wouldnt be able to do it. He got very upset. He told me he was stronger than me and I assured him that someday he will be, when he is grown up, but now, because I am bigger, I am also stronger. Then he decided I was telling him that he isn't strong at all. ayeayeaye I felt like I was talking in circles explaining that I know he is strong - and just to let it go. For the next five minutes, though, he was picking up random things like celery stalks, cups, and toys, "see, I'm strong"
He also had asked me last week about chimneys and fire. He thought fire went up the chimney and I told him the fire stayed in the fireplace, but the smoke went up and out the chimney. He asked if it'd make the fire alarm go off and I said that the alarm is supposed to sound if the inside of the house fills up with smoke. It took a few times of me trying to explain it all before he totally got it.
Sunday October 6th, we were invited to attend a recorded viewing of the annual meeting of the Governing Body. Ours was for 3pm in Mt. Pleasant. We heard it was almost 4 hours long, so we let Andrew stay home with Annelise (attended Saturdays). He was very upset that we were going to the meeting without him. I'm sure he'd have done fine, it's just a long time to ask a little person to sit quietly. We all got the new release of the revised New World Translation Bible so I was a little bummed that he wasn't there to get his own at the same time. Soon though we can take him to the literature counter and he can get one there himself. We got home around 9pm and Annelise said that he requested she leave the bedroom door cracked open so that we can come in and kiss him goodnight.
Monday for family worship we wanted to talk to Andrew about Halloween. He already knew we didn't celebrate, but we were hoping to expound on why, and talk about the different aspects of it. He blew us away with how much he already knew. He told us that it was when people dressed up as witches and ghosts. We explained to him that ghosts aren't real, they're demons tricking people into thinking the dead are up walking around. He knew about the demons already so we questioned him about whether or not dead people can act or seem alive. So we asked him what happens when you die and he demonstrated for us that you make a gagging sound and fall to the ground. lol So we asked more questions and he told us the 'heart turns off' and he plugged his nose to stop breathing, you can't think or move, etc. He reminded us that Jehovah will bring us back to life - so we reminded him, that yes, that happens later after Jehovah restores Paradise. In the meantime, we have to make sure we are Jehovah's friend and not doing the things that makes Satan happy. He said something else that I can't remember. I told him that we don't have to worry about Satan and the demons though because Jehovah is stronger and more powerful, and He can protect us and take care of us and help us. But then we told him that if one of us dies, we know, that as long as we're doing good things Jehovah likes, then we will be together again in Paradise. I asked him if it was hard for him to not celebrate Halloween and he said yes. I told him I understood but that each time he doesn't dress up and go door to door for candy, and (he brought up christmas earlier as another trick Satan uses) not celebrate christmas and get together to give each other presents then, and each time he has a birthday with no party and cake - that we "make Satan mad" were his words but mine were "make Jehovah happy, and mommy, and daddy, and Annelise, and Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa, and Joy and Barry - and all our friends at the hall - HAPPY" We also reminded him that not everyone knows all of that - like the people at school and those who will ask him what he's going to be for halloween, but all the friends at the hall do know. We told him we were so proud of him and that he's a good boy.
Later he and I were playing dinosaurs and mine asked his, "What are you going to be for Halloween?" His dinosaur replied, "No! I don't do halloween!!" I had another dinosaur tell his, "I'm so proud of you" and give him kisses. Then our dinosaurs ran the warrior dash together. The second dash around, his dinosaur kicked mine. I started to pretend crying. He came running back to help my dinosaur up, ran and got a pretend bandaid for his leg, got a tissue to blow his nose, showed him where the sink was to wash his hands, and then they started to race back together. Then his dinosaur tripped and got hurt so mine had to get the bandaid, tissue, and help him wash hands. Then they finished the race side by side together. He's such a sweetie when he decides to be.
Sunday morning I let him help me juice. The machine got jammed on the carrots so I had to take it apart and clean it. I was having trouble getting it off. He said, "Do you want me to do that for you?" I told him it was nice of him to offer, but that I am stronger than him so he wouldnt be able to do it. He got very upset. He told me he was stronger than me and I assured him that someday he will be, when he is grown up, but now, because I am bigger, I am also stronger. Then he decided I was telling him that he isn't strong at all. ayeayeaye I felt like I was talking in circles explaining that I know he is strong - and just to let it go. For the next five minutes, though, he was picking up random things like celery stalks, cups, and toys, "see, I'm strong"
Monday, October 7, 2013
Painting and Massages
Showing daddy what was under his bandaid after a skinned knee: "I see my blood stream! But it stopped now."
Saturday I had to return an unused item to Sherwin Williams. Probably six months ago Andrew told me he wanted to paint his room Red. So I suggested maybe he'd like to come in the store and look at colors to choose one for his room, and told him he could even pick bright orange if he wanted to (since orange has been a favorite color his entire life). He immediately went over and picked a bright orange. I realized that he probably picked it because of me, so I had to ask him in several different ways what color HE would pick given the choice. Finally he was consistently picking red - and the same red when given options. But then Ted and I thought that all 4 walls being "Positive Red" might be overwhelming and dark. So, somehow we all worked together and came up with one red wall, one primary blue wall, an almost lime green wall, and a buttery yellow wall. So the two main walls in his room are red and blue, then the wall with the window will be yellow, and the wall with the door and closet will be green. He is SO excited!
Saturday I got the first coat of red done. I was putting him to bed and I laid down next to him to say his prayer and chat. He said he needed to touch the red wall and he quickly did and came back and smashed his head into mine. It felt like my skull shifted. I got up, had Annelise go say prayers with him, and used a massager to work on my neck before the pain would get too intense. But then I thought - if his head could knock mine that hard, what did his do?! So I went back in and got him to turn sideways in the bed so I could work on his neck and shoulders. He loves getting a massage. About the time I got his neck adjusted, he said, "I love you mom!" I asked, "Yeah? Why do you love me?" He said, "Because you're so nice."
First thing Sunday he asked me if I was going to paint his green wall. So I did. He can't wait for me to get all the colors on the walls!
Sunday he cuddled with me at the meeting. He'd cough (sounded fake) every single time he heard someone else cough. I patted his back a few times and all of a sudden he coughed and it sounded real and rattly. So I knew he was fighting something. We went to lunch with friends anyway and when we got home, rubbed oil of oregano all over him and spritzed his room with it too. I gave him some homeopathics before bed. He coughed a little bit during the night, but not too much. I gave him more at 3am when he got up to use the bathroom. So I'm keeping him home Monday so I can keep pumping him up with herbs and homeopathics. I don't have time for us all to get sick!
Monday I got him down for his nap, but less than ten minutes later he came back out smiling saying he was done. I put him back in bed but then started to rub his feet for him. "Can you massage my head?" So I started rubbing all over his head and face - he immediately relaxed and his eyelids got heavier and heavier.
Daddy stayed home with him Tuesday and Wednesday so we could keep giving him herbs and medicine, and not expose him to more germs. Tuesday afternoon I set up my massage table and told him to put his face in the cradle. "is it going to be scary?" he asked as he hesitantly put his face down. I put a blanket over his back and used the vibrating massager over his back, hoping it'd break up any congestion in his lungs. He asked me to use it on his feet also, so I did.
Wednesday I had a rough day. I was on the floor studying and he asked if he could give me a massage. (which by the way, he rubbed my feet earlier in the week and he has great pressure! He's going to be good at it!) I said sure and he climbed onto the sofa behind me and rubbed my shoulder. Then he lifted sections of my hair, "let's see..." (trying to find my neck) I partitioned my hair and he said, "Oh okay..." and massaged my neck. Then he said, "Just stay still" as he tried to rub my forehead. Then he used his forearm and gently squeezed my head against his chest twice. I'm not really sure what he was imitating with that one, but I found it humorous.
Thursday Nana came to stay with him so he could have one more day home mending.They had a good day together and had good naps also. In the late afternoon, he brought me a newspaper that headlined "Country Ham Festival This Weekend" and asked, "Are we going to the country ham festival this weekend?" There was a picture of the Predator Monster Truck and he is very interested. I told him I'd have to see how Saturday goes because Daddy was running the Warrior Dash too.
Friday he was glad to get to go back to school and play. They are, however, getting all the kids excited for halloween and Andrew is also excited at the prospect of wearing costumes. (I need to get him some just for fun) So it was quite a bummer for him when he was told we don't do halloween either. (just got over the birthday disappointment) Saturday morning, I squared his shoulders and had him look me in the eyes and I said, "you be PROUD that you don't celebrate birthdays and halloween. You are making Jehovah VERY happy!" He wasn't entirely convinced but seemed to feel a little better too. A little later he was eating an apple and peanut butter at the table. He told me something about 'if your brain breaks.' I asked him how the brain breaks and he said 'you know, if it stops, it breaks, and a doctor has to cut off your head and put in a new brain." I told him that if the doctor cuts off the head, then you're dead. You can't live with no head. He said, "Well, Jehovah can bring you back to life in Paradise." I agreed, and added that we have to be sure we stay Jehovah's friend and do what is right so that we can be brought back to life. Then he started talking about how Satan was bad and that bad things make him happy. He told me "like Cain. Cain was Satan's friend because he killed Abel." But then he told me that daddy was Satan's friend. I asked why he'd say that and he said, "Because he spanked me." [for throwing a spatula in irritation that it was time to get ready for bed] So I then had to explain, that although that incident made Satan happy, it didn't make daddy Satan's friend. Spanking is a part of discipline and training, a consequence to behavior and actions that he was already warned against doing. I assured him we do not like spanking or being unhappy, or seeing him unhappy - but it does teach him what is okay and not okay. Then I told him that mommy and daddy can get in trouble too! He was definitely interested in that. I expounded that we have to answer to Jehovah. If we don't do a good job teaching and training Andrew - we can get in trouble with Jehovah and not get to live in Paradise either. And somewhere in that conversation we talked about how Satan used to be an angel in heaven and he chose to disobey and got in trouble - and was given the name Satan the Devil. And he had some other angel friends who decided to act with him and they became Demons, and they will all be destroyed later. But there were still plenty of good angels. He wanted to know what they were called .... "just Angels." We are all striving to be Jehovah's friend and make each other happy and make Jehovah happy so we can all be together in Paradise when the time comes.
After Saturday nap, we took him to the Country Ham Festival. We have had such a mild summer and Fall weather arrived on time. But this day - it felt like summer again. We let him bounce in the inflatables but we didn't want another heat stroke so we had to limit his time there. We got drinks and walked around. He got to see a helicoptor land, got to tour a fire truck and ambulance. He was concerned when he saw the ambulance, thinking they were there because someone was hurt. So when they opened it up to show him the inside - he refused to go in, but asked a lot of questions still. He got to see the Predator monster truck, though we missed getting to see it crush some cars, and didn't wait in line to get a ride in it. We hung out with Joy for a bit before letting him go on an inflatable obstacle course one last time before leaving. We took daddy home and hung out at Joys house the rest of the evening. He enjoyed playing with Brice and Nevin, and later Lauren and Sydney. He told us some silly stories at dinner using things he saw around the room to enhance his story.
Later he found a bunch of word magnets on the fridge and brought me one saying, "uh oh! Look what this says!" It said 'birthday' which he now equated to be a bad word. I told him the word was fine - that we all have birthdays. He said, "no we don't!" So we reminded him it's the day we're born - we just don't celebrate and have a party for it. Then he and Joy made a silly sentence with some magnets before we headed home. (i'm thinking I should get some of those, he'd love those!)
Saturday I had to return an unused item to Sherwin Williams. Probably six months ago Andrew told me he wanted to paint his room Red. So I suggested maybe he'd like to come in the store and look at colors to choose one for his room, and told him he could even pick bright orange if he wanted to (since orange has been a favorite color his entire life). He immediately went over and picked a bright orange. I realized that he probably picked it because of me, so I had to ask him in several different ways what color HE would pick given the choice. Finally he was consistently picking red - and the same red when given options. But then Ted and I thought that all 4 walls being "Positive Red" might be overwhelming and dark. So, somehow we all worked together and came up with one red wall, one primary blue wall, an almost lime green wall, and a buttery yellow wall. So the two main walls in his room are red and blue, then the wall with the window will be yellow, and the wall with the door and closet will be green. He is SO excited!
Saturday I got the first coat of red done. I was putting him to bed and I laid down next to him to say his prayer and chat. He said he needed to touch the red wall and he quickly did and came back and smashed his head into mine. It felt like my skull shifted. I got up, had Annelise go say prayers with him, and used a massager to work on my neck before the pain would get too intense. But then I thought - if his head could knock mine that hard, what did his do?! So I went back in and got him to turn sideways in the bed so I could work on his neck and shoulders. He loves getting a massage. About the time I got his neck adjusted, he said, "I love you mom!" I asked, "Yeah? Why do you love me?" He said, "Because you're so nice."
First thing Sunday he asked me if I was going to paint his green wall. So I did. He can't wait for me to get all the colors on the walls!
Sunday he cuddled with me at the meeting. He'd cough (sounded fake) every single time he heard someone else cough. I patted his back a few times and all of a sudden he coughed and it sounded real and rattly. So I knew he was fighting something. We went to lunch with friends anyway and when we got home, rubbed oil of oregano all over him and spritzed his room with it too. I gave him some homeopathics before bed. He coughed a little bit during the night, but not too much. I gave him more at 3am when he got up to use the bathroom. So I'm keeping him home Monday so I can keep pumping him up with herbs and homeopathics. I don't have time for us all to get sick!
Monday I got him down for his nap, but less than ten minutes later he came back out smiling saying he was done. I put him back in bed but then started to rub his feet for him. "Can you massage my head?" So I started rubbing all over his head and face - he immediately relaxed and his eyelids got heavier and heavier.
Daddy stayed home with him Tuesday and Wednesday so we could keep giving him herbs and medicine, and not expose him to more germs. Tuesday afternoon I set up my massage table and told him to put his face in the cradle. "is it going to be scary?" he asked as he hesitantly put his face down. I put a blanket over his back and used the vibrating massager over his back, hoping it'd break up any congestion in his lungs. He asked me to use it on his feet also, so I did.
Wednesday I had a rough day. I was on the floor studying and he asked if he could give me a massage. (which by the way, he rubbed my feet earlier in the week and he has great pressure! He's going to be good at it!) I said sure and he climbed onto the sofa behind me and rubbed my shoulder. Then he lifted sections of my hair, "let's see..." (trying to find my neck) I partitioned my hair and he said, "Oh okay..." and massaged my neck. Then he said, "Just stay still" as he tried to rub my forehead. Then he used his forearm and gently squeezed my head against his chest twice. I'm not really sure what he was imitating with that one, but I found it humorous.
Thursday Nana came to stay with him so he could have one more day home mending.They had a good day together and had good naps also. In the late afternoon, he brought me a newspaper that headlined "Country Ham Festival This Weekend" and asked, "Are we going to the country ham festival this weekend?" There was a picture of the Predator Monster Truck and he is very interested. I told him I'd have to see how Saturday goes because Daddy was running the Warrior Dash too.
Friday he was glad to get to go back to school and play. They are, however, getting all the kids excited for halloween and Andrew is also excited at the prospect of wearing costumes. (I need to get him some just for fun) So it was quite a bummer for him when he was told we don't do halloween either. (just got over the birthday disappointment) Saturday morning, I squared his shoulders and had him look me in the eyes and I said, "you be PROUD that you don't celebrate birthdays and halloween. You are making Jehovah VERY happy!" He wasn't entirely convinced but seemed to feel a little better too. A little later he was eating an apple and peanut butter at the table. He told me something about 'if your brain breaks.' I asked him how the brain breaks and he said 'you know, if it stops, it breaks, and a doctor has to cut off your head and put in a new brain." I told him that if the doctor cuts off the head, then you're dead. You can't live with no head. He said, "Well, Jehovah can bring you back to life in Paradise." I agreed, and added that we have to be sure we stay Jehovah's friend and do what is right so that we can be brought back to life. Then he started talking about how Satan was bad and that bad things make him happy. He told me "like Cain. Cain was Satan's friend because he killed Abel." But then he told me that daddy was Satan's friend. I asked why he'd say that and he said, "Because he spanked me." [for throwing a spatula in irritation that it was time to get ready for bed] So I then had to explain, that although that incident made Satan happy, it didn't make daddy Satan's friend. Spanking is a part of discipline and training, a consequence to behavior and actions that he was already warned against doing. I assured him we do not like spanking or being unhappy, or seeing him unhappy - but it does teach him what is okay and not okay. Then I told him that mommy and daddy can get in trouble too! He was definitely interested in that. I expounded that we have to answer to Jehovah. If we don't do a good job teaching and training Andrew - we can get in trouble with Jehovah and not get to live in Paradise either. And somewhere in that conversation we talked about how Satan used to be an angel in heaven and he chose to disobey and got in trouble - and was given the name Satan the Devil. And he had some other angel friends who decided to act with him and they became Demons, and they will all be destroyed later. But there were still plenty of good angels. He wanted to know what they were called .... "just Angels." We are all striving to be Jehovah's friend and make each other happy and make Jehovah happy so we can all be together in Paradise when the time comes.
After Saturday nap, we took him to the Country Ham Festival. We have had such a mild summer and Fall weather arrived on time. But this day - it felt like summer again. We let him bounce in the inflatables but we didn't want another heat stroke so we had to limit his time there. We got drinks and walked around. He got to see a helicoptor land, got to tour a fire truck and ambulance. He was concerned when he saw the ambulance, thinking they were there because someone was hurt. So when they opened it up to show him the inside - he refused to go in, but asked a lot of questions still. He got to see the Predator monster truck, though we missed getting to see it crush some cars, and didn't wait in line to get a ride in it. We hung out with Joy for a bit before letting him go on an inflatable obstacle course one last time before leaving. We took daddy home and hung out at Joys house the rest of the evening. He enjoyed playing with Brice and Nevin, and later Lauren and Sydney. He told us some silly stories at dinner using things he saw around the room to enhance his story.
Later he found a bunch of word magnets on the fridge and brought me one saying, "uh oh! Look what this says!" It said 'birthday' which he now equated to be a bad word. I told him the word was fine - that we all have birthdays. He said, "no we don't!" So we reminded him it's the day we're born - we just don't celebrate and have a party for it. Then he and Joy made a silly sentence with some magnets before we headed home. (i'm thinking I should get some of those, he'd love those!)
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Excited to be FOUR!
Monday, Andrew told me he was 4 years old. I told him "that's tomorrow!" He held back tears and said, "No! It's today!" I assured him today was Monday the 16th but if he wanted to call himself 4 that was fine. I wasn't going to get into a debate about it.
Tuesday morning, first thing I said, "hello four year old!!" He looked like he had forgotten and then smiled big. I know he was hoping we'd make a big to-do like the kids in his class do, but I reminded him that we do special things ALL the time! But it was still okay to be excited that he was a year older. He stood tall and said, "Look how BIG I am!"
Tuesday evening I was laying on my studio floor while daddy and aunt Eese made dinner. I overheard daddy tell Andrew that mommy was relaxing and to be mindful. Andrew stood his distance and asked me why I was relaxing. I told him I was sad because someone had said some unkind things to me and hurt my feelings. He asked, "Was it me?" I told him no. "Was it daddy?" No. I told him it was someone he didn't know. Then he carefully got close to me and laid down on his stomach so he could see me. Then he told me he was sorry I was sad and that he loves me. I kissed his forehead and thanked him and told him he was being very kind. Then he gently and slowly took my glasses off of my face, folded them, and rested them next to my head. Then he asked, "Do you know why I took off your glasses?" I asked why. "Because you're supposed to be relaxing." lol
Daddy suspects we have more mice, so he brought home some mouse traps. He said the only way he could pry Andrew from school was to tell him they'd go mouse hunting when they got home. So after dinner, they went under the house to set out mouse traps. I'm sure it's a little confusing after playing the game 'Mousetrap' but we did try to explain to him how it works and what it's purpose is, as gruesome as it is.
Wednesday Andrew apparently threw mulch on the playground. Upon learning of it, Ted said he felt like HE was getting scolded by the teacher and some of the kids. Apparently, a kid in another class recently had to have eye surgery because of mulch throwing. Ted nearly snapped because throwing mulch is huge "no-no" but they let the other kids hit and punch each other with hardly a consequence?? I think every 2-3 days Andrew tells us that a boy punched him (and we've witnessed it ourselves too).
Getting Andrew ready, Ted wet his hair and shuffled it so it spiked all over. Andrew said, "I look like a band!" and then started making DJ noises and funny hand gestures. Hmmm ??
Then he put a sticker on the side of his head and said, "I look like a listening burp, right?" Uhm.. whatever that is.
Thursday Ted talked with the other preschool class' teacher to ask her opinion of the rowdy class Andrew is in. His seems to be out of control, and the things they allow are unacceptable. She had the same opinion and said if she had to be in that class, she'd quit in two weeks. Ted then went to the director of the school demanding that Andrew be transferred into the other class. He would spend a little time in the new class for two days, and Monday he'll be in there full time.
Saturday, Parker refused to come with us in service because he has a major crush on Cairo. One of the Wright boys volunteered to come with us, but their daddy had to bribe the other with a milkshake. Thankfully, the fruit smoothie machine at that gas station has no dye in it, and it made Andrew feel very special to be allowed to have one also. We had a nice morning...
After service, we headed out to Smyrna for Nissan Family Day. He really wanted to swing on the swing set, but we told him we didn't come to swing, and that he has those at home and at the park. So he opted for some kid rides, he enjoyed winning a few prizes playing games, got a tattoo on his hand (after waiting an eternity for the face painter and giving up), and then had a BLAST bouncing in a bounce house with a slide. I let him taste cotton candy for the first time and then we moved out of the kiddie area. He really liked one trailer that was a 'walk in space', it was black inside and you walk across a bridge while the entire room around you spins with colored stars on it. He got to ride one more ride, an air balloon ride with Annelise, and then spent the remainder of the time going through huge bounce house obstacle courses.
When we left, we met up with Jenn and Houston for some dinner. He enjoyed being with them. When Jenn let him feel Oliver kicking inside her, he asked, "Is he trying to get out?" and seemed slightly concerned. Then he said, "I think he's going down your small intestines."
Tuesday morning, first thing I said, "hello four year old!!" He looked like he had forgotten and then smiled big. I know he was hoping we'd make a big to-do like the kids in his class do, but I reminded him that we do special things ALL the time! But it was still okay to be excited that he was a year older. He stood tall and said, "Look how BIG I am!"
Tuesday evening I was laying on my studio floor while daddy and aunt Eese made dinner. I overheard daddy tell Andrew that mommy was relaxing and to be mindful. Andrew stood his distance and asked me why I was relaxing. I told him I was sad because someone had said some unkind things to me and hurt my feelings. He asked, "Was it me?" I told him no. "Was it daddy?" No. I told him it was someone he didn't know. Then he carefully got close to me and laid down on his stomach so he could see me. Then he told me he was sorry I was sad and that he loves me. I kissed his forehead and thanked him and told him he was being very kind. Then he gently and slowly took my glasses off of my face, folded them, and rested them next to my head. Then he asked, "Do you know why I took off your glasses?" I asked why. "Because you're supposed to be relaxing." lol
Daddy suspects we have more mice, so he brought home some mouse traps. He said the only way he could pry Andrew from school was to tell him they'd go mouse hunting when they got home. So after dinner, they went under the house to set out mouse traps. I'm sure it's a little confusing after playing the game 'Mousetrap' but we did try to explain to him how it works and what it's purpose is, as gruesome as it is.
Wednesday Andrew apparently threw mulch on the playground. Upon learning of it, Ted said he felt like HE was getting scolded by the teacher and some of the kids. Apparently, a kid in another class recently had to have eye surgery because of mulch throwing. Ted nearly snapped because throwing mulch is huge "no-no" but they let the other kids hit and punch each other with hardly a consequence?? I think every 2-3 days Andrew tells us that a boy punched him (and we've witnessed it ourselves too).
Getting Andrew ready, Ted wet his hair and shuffled it so it spiked all over. Andrew said, "I look like a band!" and then started making DJ noises and funny hand gestures. Hmmm ??
Then he put a sticker on the side of his head and said, "I look like a listening burp, right?" Uhm.. whatever that is.
Thursday Ted talked with the other preschool class' teacher to ask her opinion of the rowdy class Andrew is in. His seems to be out of control, and the things they allow are unacceptable. She had the same opinion and said if she had to be in that class, she'd quit in two weeks. Ted then went to the director of the school demanding that Andrew be transferred into the other class. He would spend a little time in the new class for two days, and Monday he'll be in there full time.
Saturday, Parker refused to come with us in service because he has a major crush on Cairo. One of the Wright boys volunteered to come with us, but their daddy had to bribe the other with a milkshake. Thankfully, the fruit smoothie machine at that gas station has no dye in it, and it made Andrew feel very special to be allowed to have one also. We had a nice morning...
After service, we headed out to Smyrna for Nissan Family Day. He really wanted to swing on the swing set, but we told him we didn't come to swing, and that he has those at home and at the park. So he opted for some kid rides, he enjoyed winning a few prizes playing games, got a tattoo on his hand (after waiting an eternity for the face painter and giving up), and then had a BLAST bouncing in a bounce house with a slide. I let him taste cotton candy for the first time and then we moved out of the kiddie area. He really liked one trailer that was a 'walk in space', it was black inside and you walk across a bridge while the entire room around you spins with colored stars on it. He got to ride one more ride, an air balloon ride with Annelise, and then spent the remainder of the time going through huge bounce house obstacle courses.
When we left, we met up with Jenn and Houston for some dinner. He enjoyed being with them. When Jenn let him feel Oliver kicking inside her, he asked, "Is he trying to get out?" and seemed slightly concerned. Then he said, "I think he's going down your small intestines."
Sunday, September 15, 2013
"Ata Boy!"
I was lying in Andrew's bed, waiting for him to return from brushing his teeth. He didn't know I was in there, came in with daddy and gasped with a smile on his face, "There's a bear in my bed!" I laughed and said, "You mean goldilocks is in your bed and she's still there!" He thinks it's a lot of fun to have mommy lie in the bed with him, and great fun if daddy gets on the other side too when we put him to sleep. But lately he'll roll over and say, "I wanna love on you!" and give me kisses. One night he just rested his head on my shoulder. So sweet.
Andrew after drinking a cup of milk I made for him: "Can I have another cup of milk?"
Me: "Sure."
Andrew: "That's my girl!!"
Friday September 13th was the last day of my exams and I got my massage table. So all of us went to pick Andrew up from school, a jaunt through Costco, and then to Sushi dinner to celebrate passing all the exams. Andrew ordered a "Yummy roll" and ate the entire thing after eating a bowl of Miso soup (and all the handouts from Costco as well as a full thing of Sprite since I forgot to bring a thermos of water for him), and then finished it off with a piece of tempura ice cream. WHERE he was putting it, I don't know! He out-ate us!
Saturday morning Andrew and I played games in the studio while we waited for everyone else to wake up. At one point, he jumped up saying, "Good job mommy! I love you" and almost tackled me as he gave me a hug (and accidentally smashed my glasses into my face.)
Saturday afternoon we went to Arrington Vineyards for a while with Annelise and a few of her friends. Andrew went down to the vineyards and got a pile of rocks. He brought a rock for each of us. A little later, we saw him trying to carry a HUGE rock. It was heavy!! He struggled to keep holding it, and dropped it a few times. At the bottom of the hill, he dropped it and asked for help. When we didn't come help, he stopped and pushed some other kids on a swing. Then he picked up the rock and hiked back up the hill with it. The thing was huge.. I really don't know how he didn't hurt himself carrying it. I hope he didn't anyway! Besides that, he enjoyed meeting other children running around, doing lots of somersaults, and even playing a couple of rounds of Catch Phrase. That was cute.. it's a game where you have a word and you try to get your team to say that word - without saying it yourself. Of course that was over Andrew's head, so when it was his turn, he'd just read the word, we'd repeat it like we were guessing - and he'd get all excited "you got it!!" It was fun.
Sunday morning Ted was working on his truck and Andrew was being his little sidekick. Andrew asked for a popcicle and was denied. Then he said he was thirsty. Daddy asked him what he'd like to drink and Andrew suggested lemonade. We don't have any lemonade but daddy said maybe after the meeting they could come up with something. Andrew said, "like Sonic?" Daddy said sure but told Andrew to remind him after the meeting. They were literally driving home and Andrew piped up, "Are we going to Sonic dad?" Ted (who had forgotten) said, "Yes we are!" Andrew replied, "Ata boy!"
Andrew after drinking a cup of milk I made for him: "Can I have another cup of milk?"
Me: "Sure."
Andrew: "That's my girl!!"
Friday September 13th was the last day of my exams and I got my massage table. So all of us went to pick Andrew up from school, a jaunt through Costco, and then to Sushi dinner to celebrate passing all the exams. Andrew ordered a "Yummy roll" and ate the entire thing after eating a bowl of Miso soup (and all the handouts from Costco as well as a full thing of Sprite since I forgot to bring a thermos of water for him), and then finished it off with a piece of tempura ice cream. WHERE he was putting it, I don't know! He out-ate us!
Saturday morning Andrew and I played games in the studio while we waited for everyone else to wake up. At one point, he jumped up saying, "Good job mommy! I love you" and almost tackled me as he gave me a hug (and accidentally smashed my glasses into my face.)
Saturday afternoon we went to Arrington Vineyards for a while with Annelise and a few of her friends. Andrew went down to the vineyards and got a pile of rocks. He brought a rock for each of us. A little later, we saw him trying to carry a HUGE rock. It was heavy!! He struggled to keep holding it, and dropped it a few times. At the bottom of the hill, he dropped it and asked for help. When we didn't come help, he stopped and pushed some other kids on a swing. Then he picked up the rock and hiked back up the hill with it. The thing was huge.. I really don't know how he didn't hurt himself carrying it. I hope he didn't anyway! Besides that, he enjoyed meeting other children running around, doing lots of somersaults, and even playing a couple of rounds of Catch Phrase. That was cute.. it's a game where you have a word and you try to get your team to say that word - without saying it yourself. Of course that was over Andrew's head, so when it was his turn, he'd just read the word, we'd repeat it like we were guessing - and he'd get all excited "you got it!!" It was fun.
Sunday morning Ted was working on his truck and Andrew was being his little sidekick. Andrew asked for a popcicle and was denied. Then he said he was thirsty. Daddy asked him what he'd like to drink and Andrew suggested lemonade. We don't have any lemonade but daddy said maybe after the meeting they could come up with something. Andrew said, "like Sonic?" Daddy said sure but told Andrew to remind him after the meeting. They were literally driving home and Andrew piped up, "Are we going to Sonic dad?" Ted (who had forgotten) said, "Yes we are!" Andrew replied, "Ata boy!"
Sunday, September 8, 2013
There is air in my outer space
Conversation in the car:
Daddy: Andrew, can you please stop making that noise.
Andrew: I'm being a rocket ship.
D: There is no sound in outerspace.
A: Yes there is.
D: No there isn't. You need air for sound, and there is no air in outer space.
A: Well, there is air in MY outer space!
After a couple of errands and lunch at a pizza buffet, we took him to play at Monkey Joes. He LOVED that. Daddy used him as a basket ball once and put him through an inflatable hoop and let him hang in it. Andrew thought it was funny.
I forgot to mention in last week's post that one night I was putting Andrew to bed and he said he was ready to give another talk so he could see Nana and Papa at his kingdom hall. So sweet.
And I think it was Sunday night, I was laying in bed next to him chatting. He asked me how someone get's married. I told him not to worry about it because he has to be much much older. Then he asked if he could marry me. I told him I was already married to daddy, and that when he is older he'll find a girl that he loves and wants to spend the rest of his life with and they can get married. He asked how he was going to find her. I said not to worry - because he was going to have to be 18 or older, have his own car, a job, and it'd be good to have a house of his own to live in. He thought for a minute and said, "How about we go to the Arnold's house, I can marry them!" I just smiled and squeezed him.
Then he started telling me about all the people he loves - he has a big heart.
Andrew has been so sweet this entire week. He's come home in good spirits and gone right to playing with toys. One evening when I announced dinner was ready, he asked to help and went to get silverware out of the drawer and set the table himself - even folding napkins for each of us. He's made great use of his manners and been mostly cooperative.
On Friday morning I was pulling out things to make my lunch with and Andrew says, "Can we go out to eat?" I told him "you eat out every morning - you eat at school!" He said, "No, for dinner!" Neither of us had even had breakfast yet and he was already worried about dinner?! We did end up going out. They chose Fulins and we all had sushi. He ate his entire crazy roll and a crab rangoon. And because he didn't sing Happy B-day to a classmate we took him out for ice cream after dinner and let him have an adult small cup instead of a kids cup (waaay too much!) I can't believe he was even able to eat all of that! He ate just as much as I did! He did say his tummy hurt on the way home.. so much so he claimed he couldn't talk! lol
Saturday in the ministry, Miranda asked him if he could say "oscillococcinum" and he said, "I can say that!" and he DID! There was another long hard word she asked that he was able to repeat exactly without asking again to hear it first like I would have had to.
Sunday we went to Tito's for dinner before grocery shopping. He enjoyed trying to help me quiz Annelise on muscles. Every time she got the answer he said, "yep! I got it right!"
On the take-out box, he wrote his name perfectly and in a straight line! I think he was 2.5 the last time he wrote in a straight line - after that it was more diagonally. I guess because all the kids around him were just learning to write and were all over the page.
in his prayers Sunday night: "thank you for the bugs that are outside and not inside"
Daddy: Andrew, can you please stop making that noise.
Andrew: I'm being a rocket ship.
D: There is no sound in outerspace.
A: Yes there is.
D: No there isn't. You need air for sound, and there is no air in outer space.
A: Well, there is air in MY outer space!
After a couple of errands and lunch at a pizza buffet, we took him to play at Monkey Joes. He LOVED that. Daddy used him as a basket ball once and put him through an inflatable hoop and let him hang in it. Andrew thought it was funny.
I forgot to mention in last week's post that one night I was putting Andrew to bed and he said he was ready to give another talk so he could see Nana and Papa at his kingdom hall. So sweet.
And I think it was Sunday night, I was laying in bed next to him chatting. He asked me how someone get's married. I told him not to worry about it because he has to be much much older. Then he asked if he could marry me. I told him I was already married to daddy, and that when he is older he'll find a girl that he loves and wants to spend the rest of his life with and they can get married. He asked how he was going to find her. I said not to worry - because he was going to have to be 18 or older, have his own car, a job, and it'd be good to have a house of his own to live in. He thought for a minute and said, "How about we go to the Arnold's house, I can marry them!" I just smiled and squeezed him.
Then he started telling me about all the people he loves - he has a big heart.
Andrew has been so sweet this entire week. He's come home in good spirits and gone right to playing with toys. One evening when I announced dinner was ready, he asked to help and went to get silverware out of the drawer and set the table himself - even folding napkins for each of us. He's made great use of his manners and been mostly cooperative.
On Friday morning I was pulling out things to make my lunch with and Andrew says, "Can we go out to eat?" I told him "you eat out every morning - you eat at school!" He said, "No, for dinner!" Neither of us had even had breakfast yet and he was already worried about dinner?! We did end up going out. They chose Fulins and we all had sushi. He ate his entire crazy roll and a crab rangoon. And because he didn't sing Happy B-day to a classmate we took him out for ice cream after dinner and let him have an adult small cup instead of a kids cup (waaay too much!) I can't believe he was even able to eat all of that! He ate just as much as I did! He did say his tummy hurt on the way home.. so much so he claimed he couldn't talk! lol
Saturday in the ministry, Miranda asked him if he could say "oscillococcinum" and he said, "I can say that!" and he DID! There was another long hard word she asked that he was able to repeat exactly without asking again to hear it first like I would have had to.
Sunday we went to Tito's for dinner before grocery shopping. He enjoyed trying to help me quiz Annelise on muscles. Every time she got the answer he said, "yep! I got it right!"
On the take-out box, he wrote his name perfectly and in a straight line! I think he was 2.5 the last time he wrote in a straight line - after that it was more diagonally. I guess because all the kids around him were just learning to write and were all over the page.
in his prayers Sunday night: "thank you for the bugs that are outside and not inside"
Monday, September 2, 2013
Heat Stroke
Monday the 26th daddy was home sick. I was getting Ted fed and taken care of before turning my attention to Andrew when he said, "You forgot about me! Take care of me!" lol
He still struggles with wanting to call avocados "applecados" but he knows it's incorrect when he tries and ends up asking how to say it. I sliced up several avocados and drizzled them with balsamic vinegar. His first bite he said, "This avocado is too vinegar-y"
I surprised him by picking him up from school on Tuesday. He was very happy to have me there with him during snack, storytime, and playground fun. On the way home, Annelise helped him send a "thank you for taking me to school" message to Joy. Afterward he started getting super silly. He made a freeze face and a strange sound and then said, "I was just freakin' out." Then he did it again, "I just freaked out again." After the third time I told him although he was being silly and it was funny the first time, he'll have to do something else silly to be funny again. So he put his hands up and froze again and said, "uh! I'm a tree!" Then he transformed into all the different signs and some restaurants he saw along the way. I love that he wants to make people laugh most of the time.
He went swimming in the evening with Aunt Eese. She said that he started falling backwards in the water and said he was practicing getting baptized like the people in the 'Jehovah video' he saw on Sunday at the Kingdom Hall (the circuit overseer showed a video about the translation process and there was a clip of someone getting baptized at a convention.)
Wednesday, Ted picked him up from school but called to tell me: Andrew was speaking to the teacher and Ted thought he was talking slower than usual but didn't think twice about it until they were leaving and Andrew was fumbling around and complaining of a headache. We both called the school and the teacher said that he had water on the playground, they're not aware of any falling or hitting or anything - and that after they came in from the playground, the kids cooled down and worked at their activity centers just fine; nothing unusual. The director, however, told Ted that it sounded like heat stroke or heat exhaustion and he needed medical attention right away. When he got home is when he told me what she said, and sure enough, he had the symptoms of it. He was headed into the heat stroke category for sure. We immediately gave him some coconut water and juice and got him to recline on the couch. His temperature was 102.1 an hour after being picked up from school (5:20) - which is still high, but we have no idea how high it was coming down from! His skin was hot to the touch all over but he complained of being cold and did not like the idea of a cold compress on his neck and head, or anywhere. He asked me to read The Stinky Cheese Man book while he relaxed. He did eat a yogurt and a few bites of tomato soup, but then it seemed like he went downhill again. He took a little nap in his bed, but woke up wet and still very feverish. We finally convinced him to take a warm bath with clove oil and peppermint oil in it. I gave him a tiny amount of baby tylenol and some homeopathics. After his bath I cuddled on the couch with the towel loosely around him and fed him some raw milk mint chocolate chip ice cream (to get peppermint oil in him), and a cool damp rag behind his neck and over his head to his forehead. When he started drifting off asleep I took the towel off his shoulders completely. FINALLY his fever started going down. By 10pm it was 99.7. I woke up at 3am worried about him and wondering if I should check on him. A few minutes later, I thought I heard him whimper so I bolted in there. He was stirring (wet again from all the fluids) but this time his temperature was 97.9 which was a huge relief. I asked him how he was feeling and he said, "Terrible. Just Terrible."
Thursday daddy was able to work from home so he could keep Andrew indoors and calm, and he called the school to tell them what happened. They are now going to review their outdoor play policy to make sure it won't happen again. The boys watched a couple of movies and went out to lunch together and had a nice day. He was definitely acting like he felt better, but now he was complaining of a sore throat.
Friday it was going to be 94+ degrees outside. I called the school at 2:30 to make sure that Andrew would not be going outside. She told me no one was going out. They apparently didn't make it clear to the kids though, because when Ted picked Andrew up from school, he thought daddy was early and he was missing getting to play outside and it was daddy's fault! He was NOT happy about that.
Saturday evening I really needed to get out of the house, so we tried a restaurant we'd not been to before in Columbia. It really isn't worth mentioning. But.. it turned out to be attached to the Mall which we wandered around in briefly. I went into one store hoping to find cheap pjs for him, but instead found some castle building blocks for super cheap (that I'd also just purchased online!) He asked instead if he could have a truck that when you pull the lever, it pushes out a bar from the front. It was a very cheaply made looking toy, but cost $20! So we told him no. We told him that we would get him the castle blocks. He liked that idea, but said, "but can we also get this truck so I can knock the blocks down?" Ted and I liked his quick thought process, but still said no.
Andrew has seen the grocery store named Piggly Wiggly several times on our ventures to Columbia and for the past two years has been asking to go in one. On our way out of the mall we told him we'd take him on the way home. He started doing a wiggly dance and was singing the words 'Piggly Wiggly' all the way to the store! He wasn't as intrigued with the store as he thought he'd be.
He still struggles with wanting to call avocados "applecados" but he knows it's incorrect when he tries and ends up asking how to say it. I sliced up several avocados and drizzled them with balsamic vinegar. His first bite he said, "This avocado is too vinegar-y"
I surprised him by picking him up from school on Tuesday. He was very happy to have me there with him during snack, storytime, and playground fun. On the way home, Annelise helped him send a "thank you for taking me to school" message to Joy. Afterward he started getting super silly. He made a freeze face and a strange sound and then said, "I was just freakin' out." Then he did it again, "I just freaked out again." After the third time I told him although he was being silly and it was funny the first time, he'll have to do something else silly to be funny again. So he put his hands up and froze again and said, "uh! I'm a tree!" Then he transformed into all the different signs and some restaurants he saw along the way. I love that he wants to make people laugh most of the time.
He went swimming in the evening with Aunt Eese. She said that he started falling backwards in the water and said he was practicing getting baptized like the people in the 'Jehovah video' he saw on Sunday at the Kingdom Hall (the circuit overseer showed a video about the translation process and there was a clip of someone getting baptized at a convention.)
Wednesday, Ted picked him up from school but called to tell me: Andrew was speaking to the teacher and Ted thought he was talking slower than usual but didn't think twice about it until they were leaving and Andrew was fumbling around and complaining of a headache. We both called the school and the teacher said that he had water on the playground, they're not aware of any falling or hitting or anything - and that after they came in from the playground, the kids cooled down and worked at their activity centers just fine; nothing unusual. The director, however, told Ted that it sounded like heat stroke or heat exhaustion and he needed medical attention right away. When he got home is when he told me what she said, and sure enough, he had the symptoms of it. He was headed into the heat stroke category for sure. We immediately gave him some coconut water and juice and got him to recline on the couch. His temperature was 102.1 an hour after being picked up from school (5:20) - which is still high, but we have no idea how high it was coming down from! His skin was hot to the touch all over but he complained of being cold and did not like the idea of a cold compress on his neck and head, or anywhere. He asked me to read The Stinky Cheese Man book while he relaxed. He did eat a yogurt and a few bites of tomato soup, but then it seemed like he went downhill again. He took a little nap in his bed, but woke up wet and still very feverish. We finally convinced him to take a warm bath with clove oil and peppermint oil in it. I gave him a tiny amount of baby tylenol and some homeopathics. After his bath I cuddled on the couch with the towel loosely around him and fed him some raw milk mint chocolate chip ice cream (to get peppermint oil in him), and a cool damp rag behind his neck and over his head to his forehead. When he started drifting off asleep I took the towel off his shoulders completely. FINALLY his fever started going down. By 10pm it was 99.7. I woke up at 3am worried about him and wondering if I should check on him. A few minutes later, I thought I heard him whimper so I bolted in there. He was stirring (wet again from all the fluids) but this time his temperature was 97.9 which was a huge relief. I asked him how he was feeling and he said, "Terrible. Just Terrible."
Thursday daddy was able to work from home so he could keep Andrew indoors and calm, and he called the school to tell them what happened. They are now going to review their outdoor play policy to make sure it won't happen again. The boys watched a couple of movies and went out to lunch together and had a nice day. He was definitely acting like he felt better, but now he was complaining of a sore throat.
Friday it was going to be 94+ degrees outside. I called the school at 2:30 to make sure that Andrew would not be going outside. She told me no one was going out. They apparently didn't make it clear to the kids though, because when Ted picked Andrew up from school, he thought daddy was early and he was missing getting to play outside and it was daddy's fault! He was NOT happy about that.
Saturday evening I really needed to get out of the house, so we tried a restaurant we'd not been to before in Columbia. It really isn't worth mentioning. But.. it turned out to be attached to the Mall which we wandered around in briefly. I went into one store hoping to find cheap pjs for him, but instead found some castle building blocks for super cheap (that I'd also just purchased online!) He asked instead if he could have a truck that when you pull the lever, it pushes out a bar from the front. It was a very cheaply made looking toy, but cost $20! So we told him no. We told him that we would get him the castle blocks. He liked that idea, but said, "but can we also get this truck so I can knock the blocks down?" Ted and I liked his quick thought process, but still said no.
Andrew has seen the grocery store named Piggly Wiggly several times on our ventures to Columbia and for the past two years has been asking to go in one. On our way out of the mall we told him we'd take him on the way home. He started doing a wiggly dance and was singing the words 'Piggly Wiggly' all the way to the store! He wasn't as intrigued with the store as he thought he'd be.
Monday, August 26, 2013
First Day of Pre-K
Monday August 19th - Andrew's first day of Pre-K1 school. There were no tears, no fussing as he got ready and went off with daddy. When he came home he was in good spirits. I asked him if he liked his new teacher and he said no. So I asked what he did not like about her. "I did not like the whole body of her."
Tuesday we tried taking some "first day of school" photos since I didn't have time on Monday. It was still dark at 6am so they're not great. We retook them in the afternoon but his smile then was a bit more posed and awkward.
He got to ride with daddy and take Grandma to the airport before getting to school. He was very disappointed when I told him no to his question, "will I get to drive the plane too?"
When they got home, Ted said that Andrew's teachers told him that he is way way way ahead of all the other kids in his class in pretty much every area, including writing. That they are going to have to try really hard to challenge him and keep him from getting bored.
Thursday and Friday both, Ted knew right off the bat he must have been given food coloring. He was mean and difficult from the moment he arrived at school to get him, until bedtime. He had a hard time staying focused and cooperative during his violin lesson on Thursday too. He was still a crankypants Saturday morning, saying he didn't want to go in service, and he didn't want to be with Joy and Barry - but he did enjoy being with them/us despite what he claimed afterward. Stinker.
Tuesday we tried taking some "first day of school" photos since I didn't have time on Monday. It was still dark at 6am so they're not great. We retook them in the afternoon but his smile then was a bit more posed and awkward.
He got to ride with daddy and take Grandma to the airport before getting to school. He was very disappointed when I told him no to his question, "will I get to drive the plane too?"
When they got home, Ted said that Andrew's teachers told him that he is way way way ahead of all the other kids in his class in pretty much every area, including writing. That they are going to have to try really hard to challenge him and keep him from getting bored.
Thursday and Friday both, Ted knew right off the bat he must have been given food coloring. He was mean and difficult from the moment he arrived at school to get him, until bedtime. He had a hard time staying focused and cooperative during his violin lesson on Thursday too. He was still a crankypants Saturday morning, saying he didn't want to go in service, and he didn't want to be with Joy and Barry - but he did enjoy being with them/us despite what he claimed afterward. Stinker.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
The Best Party Ever
Monday August 12th was my first day at school. He asked me why I had to go to school. I told him to learn massage and ways to make people feel better. He said, "But you already know massage! You do it here at home!" I love that he wants us to be home together.
Tuesday evening Grandma arrived and we all attended an open house at Andrew's school to meet his new teacher and everything. On the way to dinner, Andrew asked if he could recite his talk to Grandma - and he did. (I was not happy to hear that, as I have been discouraging him from reciting it since he wouldn't know if he was saying anything wrong - Andrew needed to focus on READing it.) But Ted was pleased and impressed.
Wednesday: Finally time to give his talk on stage in front of the audience. He was excited. Several people tied in by phone just to listen to him, and some family and friends came to our meeting for it also. He did a great job for a three year old, but he read much much better on all of his practice sessions. He got distracted by his hand sticking to the bible page, he kept looking out at the audience and grinning. He lost his place at one point near the end and ended up skipping a couple of lines. Most people were not following along anyway, they were all beaming with joy watching him read with great enthusiasm and energy. The conductor told us later that he followed along for the first three verses and then just closed the bible to watch. A lot of the young ones crowded around him after the meeting, some of them saying, "He reads just as well as we do!" and they are in fifth grade!
We went to Sonic with a couple of friends afterward and he got to play on their playground and eat an ice cream sundae. When we got home, daddy gave him a wrapped present: his own Optimus Prime transformer!
Thursday Grandma and daddy got to experience his violin lesson where he learned robot arms and robot wrist for using his bow. We went to Mellow Mushroom for pizza after that and they had live music on the square. After dinner we stayed and listened and Andrew did some fancy footwork dancing to the music.
Saturday was our big summer splash party! We rented an inflatable bounce castle with a water slide, and also an inflatable slip and slide with a pool on the end. They were a HUGE hit! Andrew got to play for a while all by himself before lunch and a nap, and when he woke up our friends started arriving. The only thing that didn't show up was summer. It was a high of 69 and there was a light breeze sometimes... Andrew turned blue twice! But that didn't stop any of the kids from having so much fun. There was sheer joy on all their faces. There was a lot of colliding and crashing - but no fighting or hurt feelings. Everyone played so well. When it got dark, Ted gave each of the kids sparklers to play with, and then he shot off some fireworks - also a huge hit! More than one child, even some of the older ones, said, "This is the best party ever!!"
Sunday August 18th, it was the most mellow all the kids in the hall have ever been.
Tuesday evening Grandma arrived and we all attended an open house at Andrew's school to meet his new teacher and everything. On the way to dinner, Andrew asked if he could recite his talk to Grandma - and he did. (I was not happy to hear that, as I have been discouraging him from reciting it since he wouldn't know if he was saying anything wrong - Andrew needed to focus on READing it.) But Ted was pleased and impressed.
Wednesday: Finally time to give his talk on stage in front of the audience. He was excited. Several people tied in by phone just to listen to him, and some family and friends came to our meeting for it also. He did a great job for a three year old, but he read much much better on all of his practice sessions. He got distracted by his hand sticking to the bible page, he kept looking out at the audience and grinning. He lost his place at one point near the end and ended up skipping a couple of lines. Most people were not following along anyway, they were all beaming with joy watching him read with great enthusiasm and energy. The conductor told us later that he followed along for the first three verses and then just closed the bible to watch. A lot of the young ones crowded around him after the meeting, some of them saying, "He reads just as well as we do!" and they are in fifth grade!
We went to Sonic with a couple of friends afterward and he got to play on their playground and eat an ice cream sundae. When we got home, daddy gave him a wrapped present: his own Optimus Prime transformer!
Thursday Grandma and daddy got to experience his violin lesson where he learned robot arms and robot wrist for using his bow. We went to Mellow Mushroom for pizza after that and they had live music on the square. After dinner we stayed and listened and Andrew did some fancy footwork dancing to the music.
Saturday was our big summer splash party! We rented an inflatable bounce castle with a water slide, and also an inflatable slip and slide with a pool on the end. They were a HUGE hit! Andrew got to play for a while all by himself before lunch and a nap, and when he woke up our friends started arriving. The only thing that didn't show up was summer. It was a high of 69 and there was a light breeze sometimes... Andrew turned blue twice! But that didn't stop any of the kids from having so much fun. There was sheer joy on all their faces. There was a lot of colliding and crashing - but no fighting or hurt feelings. Everyone played so well. When it got dark, Ted gave each of the kids sparklers to play with, and then he shot off some fireworks - also a huge hit! More than one child, even some of the older ones, said, "This is the best party ever!!"
Sunday August 18th, it was the most mellow all the kids in the hall have ever been.
Monday, August 12, 2013
"I'm a Genius"
Tuesday morning Nana and Papa surprised Andrew by coming out to swim and have lunch together, since this is the last week we'll both be out of school together until holidays arrive. The air was not hot and the water felt cold - but they all enjoyed the time together.
The weather was perfect for taking Andrew to the Williamson County Fair on Tuesday evening. He was 1/2 inch too short for a bunch of rides, but he enjoyed the ones he did get to. It was all a pretty nice set up and they had cute things for the younger crowd. He started rubbing his eyes around 7:30 so we shared a funnel cake with caramel, chocolate, and walnuts on it. That sugar got him through the rest of the evening.
Wednesday, we had prepared a scripture for him to read during the congregation bible study. He sat on my lap and raised his hand high. You could tell the conductor was a little nervous calling on him for reading it, but he did... and Andrew read it perfectly - much to the relief of the conductor I'm sure. He was very excited to participate that way too.
Thursday the Laffertys came over to swim for a couple of hours and in the evening it was time for another violin lesson. He's doing a really good job progressing. We are on a new schedule and now Taylor Buffington has her lesson after him, so we stayed and he got to see Taylor practice for a few minutes.
Friday, I heard him talking in his bed. So I snuck in and he was completely under the covers, talking away. I whispered "where's Andrew?" as I sat on the side of the bed. He threw the covers back, smiling, and sat up. He took a deep breath, and then just kept.on.talking. I don't recall what he talked about, but he hardly took in a breath between sentences and subjects. I just leaned back and listened and smiled - soaking him in. We had some giggle time and then I told him I had something special for him today. I was taking him to aMuse'um in Columbia to play. He had a lovely time there despite a couple of girls being really mean to him several times. He was a trooper, so kind and polite to them anyway. I was proud of him.
I asked him what he wanted for lunch and he said pizza, so we tried out a new pizza joint in town. It wasn't great, but he ate two pieces and we enjoyed being together. I even let him get root beer. They had a little dessert menu on the table and he read through the entire thing. As he was reading he said, "Cole Slaw ...." I stopped him, "Cole slaw??" He said, "Yeah. Cole slaw" as he pointed to the word 'Colossal'. LOL He's so cute.
Saturday, he helped daddy mow the lawn. He's okay at driving it and controlling it, but his best job is cleaning it. Ted said he's showing himself responsible enough to get the blades clean after the job is done. He was also helpful in washing windows with Aunt Eese.
Ted saw a shirt at Kohls in Andrew's size that says "Boy Genius" on it. We thought it was funny given how smart he is. But, no, I do not think he is a genius like some have asked or suggested.
Sunday morning I was folding laundry and I showed it to him. He read it to me correctly and I asked, "Do you know what genius means?" He guessed, "Happy and proud?" LOL I told him it is when someone is really really super smart; smarter than most of the other people the same age. Then he started prancing around singing, "I'm a genius! I'm a genius!" *sigh* I told him he was not a genius, though he is really smart.
The weather was perfect for taking Andrew to the Williamson County Fair on Tuesday evening. He was 1/2 inch too short for a bunch of rides, but he enjoyed the ones he did get to. It was all a pretty nice set up and they had cute things for the younger crowd. He started rubbing his eyes around 7:30 so we shared a funnel cake with caramel, chocolate, and walnuts on it. That sugar got him through the rest of the evening.
Wednesday, we had prepared a scripture for him to read during the congregation bible study. He sat on my lap and raised his hand high. You could tell the conductor was a little nervous calling on him for reading it, but he did... and Andrew read it perfectly - much to the relief of the conductor I'm sure. He was very excited to participate that way too.
Thursday the Laffertys came over to swim for a couple of hours and in the evening it was time for another violin lesson. He's doing a really good job progressing. We are on a new schedule and now Taylor Buffington has her lesson after him, so we stayed and he got to see Taylor practice for a few minutes.
Friday, I heard him talking in his bed. So I snuck in and he was completely under the covers, talking away. I whispered "where's Andrew?" as I sat on the side of the bed. He threw the covers back, smiling, and sat up. He took a deep breath, and then just kept.on.talking. I don't recall what he talked about, but he hardly took in a breath between sentences and subjects. I just leaned back and listened and smiled - soaking him in. We had some giggle time and then I told him I had something special for him today. I was taking him to aMuse'um in Columbia to play. He had a lovely time there despite a couple of girls being really mean to him several times. He was a trooper, so kind and polite to them anyway. I was proud of him.
I asked him what he wanted for lunch and he said pizza, so we tried out a new pizza joint in town. It wasn't great, but he ate two pieces and we enjoyed being together. I even let him get root beer. They had a little dessert menu on the table and he read through the entire thing. As he was reading he said, "Cole Slaw ...." I stopped him, "Cole slaw??" He said, "Yeah. Cole slaw" as he pointed to the word 'Colossal'. LOL He's so cute.
Saturday, he helped daddy mow the lawn. He's okay at driving it and controlling it, but his best job is cleaning it. Ted said he's showing himself responsible enough to get the blades clean after the job is done. He was also helpful in washing windows with Aunt Eese.
Ted saw a shirt at Kohls in Andrew's size that says "Boy Genius" on it. We thought it was funny given how smart he is. But, no, I do not think he is a genius like some have asked or suggested.
Sunday morning I was folding laundry and I showed it to him. He read it to me correctly and I asked, "Do you know what genius means?" He guessed, "Happy and proud?" LOL I told him it is when someone is really really super smart; smarter than most of the other people the same age. Then he started prancing around singing, "I'm a genius! I'm a genius!" *sigh* I told him he was not a genius, though he is really smart.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Last week of Summer School
One of my past clients has a little boy who is in Andrew's class. She told me that Monday, when she was picking up Cooper, Andrew came up to her all happy and said, "My mom is coming to get me too!" It broke my heart to read her message. Daddy comes to get him.. not me. But he is still holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, I will walk through those doors early to get him.
He is doing an amazing job on his bible reading!! When we timed it, he read the entire thing in 4 minutes and 5 seconds, and that is with him fumbling just a couple of times briefly. We are SO proud of him! Tuesday we both cheered when he finished reading and we startled him which scared him and he started crying and yelling out of genuine fear. We both felt so bad and tried to apologize. It took a while to calm him down and explain that we were just excited - but that we do understand that we scared him. Daddy reminded him how we don't like it when he is loud, especially in the car, so we do understand how he feels. (I'm so thankful we can reason with him!)
The other day he was walking around the house singing, "Sinful Passions! Sinful passions!!" Its a phrase he picked out of his bible reading.
Wednesday night after the meeting, he practiced the reading from the podium. I expressed concern that so many people are going to want to see him read, that there will be a bunch of people standing in the back school and that might become a distraction to him. That and if anyone laughs or anything - he is extra sensitive thinking he's not doing a good enough job. Ted took that to heart and decided maybe the front will be better. So the brothers got step stools out for Andrew to try reading from the stage podium, and lowered the microphone to his level but didn't turn it on. All the stools were too short. He did the reading, but he had trouble seeing the words and keeping his place because his own hand blocked his sight. So, daddy is building a tall step for him to stand on. Andrew LOVED being on the stage and wanted to touch and feel everything. I think he's starting to get excited - and I'm glad that we are introducing him to the podium and stage beforehand so it's not so new. Ted has planned to let him practice with the microphone on at the podium Saturday after service.
Thursday I had a photoshoot so he had to hang out with Annelise for a while. Amanda O'Gorman let Jillian play with Andrew while we focused on Kerrigan who is 9 months old. Before they left, Kerrigan was standing in front of the couch and Annelise was stroking her arm. Andrew came over, "Can I pet her too?"
Friday was his last day on the summer schedule of Primrose. He will be home for two weeks before starting back full time.
Ted built a nice step stool for him and took it to the hall Saturday for Andrew to use while practicing with the microphone on. Andrew was really excited at that idea all morning. Ted said he did a great job reading despite a thunderstorm that was literally rattling the building. He did it in 3 minutes and 18 seconds, and he did giggle a few times. He told me later, "I thought it was cool, and it was."
He is doing an amazing job on his bible reading!! When we timed it, he read the entire thing in 4 minutes and 5 seconds, and that is with him fumbling just a couple of times briefly. We are SO proud of him! Tuesday we both cheered when he finished reading and we startled him which scared him and he started crying and yelling out of genuine fear. We both felt so bad and tried to apologize. It took a while to calm him down and explain that we were just excited - but that we do understand that we scared him. Daddy reminded him how we don't like it when he is loud, especially in the car, so we do understand how he feels. (I'm so thankful we can reason with him!)
The other day he was walking around the house singing, "Sinful Passions! Sinful passions!!" Its a phrase he picked out of his bible reading.
Wednesday night after the meeting, he practiced the reading from the podium. I expressed concern that so many people are going to want to see him read, that there will be a bunch of people standing in the back school and that might become a distraction to him. That and if anyone laughs or anything - he is extra sensitive thinking he's not doing a good enough job. Ted took that to heart and decided maybe the front will be better. So the brothers got step stools out for Andrew to try reading from the stage podium, and lowered the microphone to his level but didn't turn it on. All the stools were too short. He did the reading, but he had trouble seeing the words and keeping his place because his own hand blocked his sight. So, daddy is building a tall step for him to stand on. Andrew LOVED being on the stage and wanted to touch and feel everything. I think he's starting to get excited - and I'm glad that we are introducing him to the podium and stage beforehand so it's not so new. Ted has planned to let him practice with the microphone on at the podium Saturday after service.
Thursday I had a photoshoot so he had to hang out with Annelise for a while. Amanda O'Gorman let Jillian play with Andrew while we focused on Kerrigan who is 9 months old. Before they left, Kerrigan was standing in front of the couch and Annelise was stroking her arm. Andrew came over, "Can I pet her too?"
Friday was his last day on the summer schedule of Primrose. He will be home for two weeks before starting back full time.
Ted built a nice step stool for him and took it to the hall Saturday for Andrew to use while practicing with the microphone on. Andrew was really excited at that idea all morning. Ted said he did a great job reading despite a thunderstorm that was literally rattling the building. He did it in 3 minutes and 18 seconds, and he did giggle a few times. He told me later, "I thought it was cool, and it was."
Monday, July 29, 2013
Uncle Mary
One thing they do at Primrose school is a fill in the blank statement that they then draw a picture of.
Recently, the statement was "If I lived in a castle, I would have _____" All the other boys said a dragon, but Andrew said "a moat." Another one: "under the stars I see .... an alien." And, "If I were a cowboy I would fall off my horse!" He's so funny.
Recently, the statement was "If I lived in a castle, I would have _____" All the other boys said a dragon, but Andrew said "a moat." Another one: "under the stars I see .... an alien." And, "If I were a cowboy I would fall off my horse!" He's so funny.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Pescatarians
Andrew was looking at the photos on my studio wall. There is a young man with a tattoo of his wife's lips on his chest. Andrew points to it and says, "who is that person with the stamp on them?"
Sunday evening when it was time for bed, Andrew told me his ear hurt. He said it hurt deep inside. He woke up about every 20 minutes or so crying because of it. I put some homeopathic drops in his ears, gave him some homeopathic pain killers and put tea tree oil and helichrysum oil all around the outside of his ear. Ted ended up sharing the bed with him to help comfort him. Ted said he kept reaching out all night to make sure daddy was still there, and at one point, reached over and squeezed daddy's nose closed!
Monday was Andrew's second whole day at Primrose again. I was really reluctant to wake him up when it was time after having such a rough start to the night before. He was in good spirits, and he said his ear was fine!!
He told me he had a good day at school. He got to paint a cactus (last week it was making castles) and play games on the computer that had to do with letters and words. He chose an activity that had to do with people, and there was a guy in a wheel chair and the wheels moved (i'm guessing it's a toy?). I asked if anyone was nice and he said yes. I asked if anyone was mean and he said RC kicked him in the stomach and it was on purpose. But then he said the teacher said something kind to him and told RC to say he was sorry and that made him feel better. He told me wanted to cry at nap today but didn't, and that he was able to stay quiet (he expressed concern earlier that he's not able to stay quiet and not cry.) I smiled big and gave him a high five and told him I was so proud of him and I knew he could do it. I asked if he had to pray to Jehovah for help and he said no, he did it all by himself. He was in good spirits all evening. We played a few rounds of chutes n ladders, and after dinner he did his entire bible reading (with lots of questions in between about the little reference letters or what some words mean). I gave him a little "treasure chest box" that I found at Hobby Lobby today and he was super excited about that. I also found a neat whistle at Scarlet Begonia that Nana ended up getting for him since she was already checking out. It's pretty cool and he enjoyed whistling and figuring out different noises and tones with it. (it has a stick that you pull in and out to change the sound)
Tuesday and Thursday he enjoyed his time at Spring Hollow, but Wednesday and Friday he started the mornings off crying because he didn't want to go to Primrose. The teachers say he does fine during the day.
Saturday we moved Annelise so he had to go elsewhere. Originally he picked the Pingles so he could play with Samantha, but she ended up sick. So he spent the day with Joy, Barry, and Lauren. Joy said that Brice and Nevin were there (young teenagers) and they all played well together and played with Legos. They played at the park too and he was showing other boys how to go down the fireman poles, climbing the dome and swinging down from it. While on the dome there was an older boy watching him go up and down on it, Andrew was talking the entire time and the boy wouldn't reply. Finally Andrew asked, "Can you talk?" The boy said, "i can talk." Andrew finally begged him to talk with him.
Later when they were making fish tacos, Andrew was playing Legos with Lauren. Joy and the boys were having a conversation about vegetarians who still eat fish. Lauren yelled from the living room that they're called pescatarians. Joy couldn't hear so Andrew volunteered to tell her. He walks in the kitchen and says, "They're pescatarians." Then he told them, "That's Spanish for fish and bread." LOL
Sunday evening when it was time for bed, Andrew told me his ear hurt. He said it hurt deep inside. He woke up about every 20 minutes or so crying because of it. I put some homeopathic drops in his ears, gave him some homeopathic pain killers and put tea tree oil and helichrysum oil all around the outside of his ear. Ted ended up sharing the bed with him to help comfort him. Ted said he kept reaching out all night to make sure daddy was still there, and at one point, reached over and squeezed daddy's nose closed!
Monday was Andrew's second whole day at Primrose again. I was really reluctant to wake him up when it was time after having such a rough start to the night before. He was in good spirits, and he said his ear was fine!!
He told me he had a good day at school. He got to paint a cactus (last week it was making castles) and play games on the computer that had to do with letters and words. He chose an activity that had to do with people, and there was a guy in a wheel chair and the wheels moved (i'm guessing it's a toy?). I asked if anyone was nice and he said yes. I asked if anyone was mean and he said RC kicked him in the stomach and it was on purpose. But then he said the teacher said something kind to him and told RC to say he was sorry and that made him feel better. He told me wanted to cry at nap today but didn't, and that he was able to stay quiet (he expressed concern earlier that he's not able to stay quiet and not cry.) I smiled big and gave him a high five and told him I was so proud of him and I knew he could do it. I asked if he had to pray to Jehovah for help and he said no, he did it all by himself. He was in good spirits all evening. We played a few rounds of chutes n ladders, and after dinner he did his entire bible reading (with lots of questions in between about the little reference letters or what some words mean). I gave him a little "treasure chest box" that I found at Hobby Lobby today and he was super excited about that. I also found a neat whistle at Scarlet Begonia that Nana ended up getting for him since she was already checking out. It's pretty cool and he enjoyed whistling and figuring out different noises and tones with it. (it has a stick that you pull in and out to change the sound)
Tuesday and Thursday he enjoyed his time at Spring Hollow, but Wednesday and Friday he started the mornings off crying because he didn't want to go to Primrose. The teachers say he does fine during the day.
Saturday we moved Annelise so he had to go elsewhere. Originally he picked the Pingles so he could play with Samantha, but she ended up sick. So he spent the day with Joy, Barry, and Lauren. Joy said that Brice and Nevin were there (young teenagers) and they all played well together and played with Legos. They played at the park too and he was showing other boys how to go down the fireman poles, climbing the dome and swinging down from it. While on the dome there was an older boy watching him go up and down on it, Andrew was talking the entire time and the boy wouldn't reply. Finally Andrew asked, "Can you talk?" The boy said, "i can talk." Andrew finally begged him to talk with him.
Later when they were making fish tacos, Andrew was playing Legos with Lauren. Joy and the boys were having a conversation about vegetarians who still eat fish. Lauren yelled from the living room that they're called pescatarians. Joy couldn't hear so Andrew volunteered to tell her. He walks in the kitchen and says, "They're pescatarians." Then he told them, "That's Spanish for fish and bread." LOL
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Long week
It's been a difficult week.
Monday July 8th: With little warning, we got Andrew out of bed (he was just waking up) and sent him off to his new school. Daddy signed him up for breakfast there, and dropped him off and went to work. The teachers said he was having a good day and fit right in and made himself at home - and that he particularly enjoyed the playground. Daddy said that when he came to pick him up, Andrew saw him and seemed to hold back tears. Probably tears of relief that he hadn't been forgotten since it was then after 4pm.
Tuesday he went back to Spring Hollow from 9-2. He was very happy to see me and wanted to show me some art he created. I looked at it and we talked about it for a moment, but then I told him to get his socks and shoes on and he fell on the floor crying saying he wanted to play outside. I told him we had an appointment and had to go - but he wouldn't cooperate. I got up to gather his things and he followed me trying to grab my legs like he was afraid I'd try to leave him. I ended up carrying him out. At our visit to Adam Roberts, he was complaining of his stomach hurting. AR said that Andrew is stressed out about something and it had to do with Spring Hollow and the new teacher.
Wednesday morning he told me that while at school on Tuesday, another girl put her hands around his neck and squeezed really hard and hurt him. He demonstrated and made his face turn red. I contacted the lead teacher and she knew nothing of it but when I mentioned the name of the girl she said that Andrew was no doubt telling the truth and she'd talk to their family, and also tell Andrew next time to tell her if someone else is hurting him.
Wednesday I took him to his first real dental cleaning. He was nervous, but a champ. They said he does have one small cavity in the back upper right that they'd like to clear out and seal. lovely.
I took him to Primrose after the dentist, in time to have lunch with him. He kept telling me he didn't want to go - that it wasn't going to be as much fun as Spring Hollow is. When it was time for nap and me to go - he fell apart. I sat with him for just a minute and told him that I would come back after my appt and check on him. It only consoled him long enough for me to get out the door. When I came back, the teacher said he was still unsettled and was upset for 45 minutes but they couldn't sit with him any longer. He saw me and burst into tears so we went out in the hallway and talked and cuddled. I told him it was okay to be scared with all the new changes and that I was so proud of him for trying anyway.. that it will get easier when he learns the routine of it all. I left again when there was only an hour left before daddy could get him and he was about to go outside to play.
Thursday he was coughing more so I didn't send him to Spring Hollow and I cancelled his violin lesson. He was a pill all day. I'm not going to write out how it went because I'd rather forget - but he was very rude and defiant and disagreeable all day over everything. I know it's just because of all the upheaval in our regular routine but it's very taxing on me.
Friday was the same as Thursday. I kept him home so he could get proper nutrition and rest - but it was a very difficult day dealing with him.
Daddy took us out to dinner Friday night so I could have a little break. We went to Olive Garden. It was cute when we were almost done he was conversing with the waitress and then pointed at her and said in a super cute way, "Don't you smile! Don't do it! Don't you smile!" We all laughed. That's what people end up saying to get him to smile when they want to take a photo. He was very agreeable while we were there. He even tried ravioli's, and bread with bruschetta instead of his usual soup.
Saturday we started off the day with a major fight and meltdown over breakfast. I think it was good for him to let out a lot of his frustration and rage in the way of screaming and hitting - but it was very hard to listen to. That was finally diffused and we headed out for field service. He really wanted to read the scripture at the meeting for service but I couldn't get to it fast enough... but I did let him read it at one of my calls. He did a great job and they were very impressed. We had a pleasant morning and went to Sonic with the Buffingtons so the kids could eat together outside and then play on their little playground. That was very good for all of us.
After nap we headed out to Annelise's to start moving some of her things here. Andrew was really good and helpful - and was disobedient only a few times and we avoided some meltdowns. On the way home, he told me he had a grandson. I explained to him that HE is a grandson, not a grandfather but he insisted otherwise. Then he told me a very elaborate story.
His grandson is named Patrick Olivia and lives in Mississippi next to Alabama. He lives in a blue house on a farm. But the house is not built yet because when Andrew was visiting last, a tornado came and sucked up the bricks and Andrew got stuck inside and was very scared. And it sucked up more bricks and he and his grandson were trapped and crying. He went on and on and I didn't quite follow some of it and at this point can't remember either. It was quite long though. At some point he said that he died and would never be seen again. So I asked, "well, did he serve Jehovah?" Andrew said yes. So I said, "Then he can be seen again!" And Andrew recalled that when Jehovah turns the earth into a paradise, he will bring people back to life and he got excited that he'd see Patrick again.
Sunday we had a decent start to the day. He got to help daddy pick a big bowl of blackberries, and later he got to use a remote controlled boat in the pool. He practiced his Bible reading too:
Tuesday I had told Ted I had an idea. His mom would be out here in August, wouldn't it be neat if Andrew could do the Bible Reading that week. His first one, and she'd get to be here for it. So I made sure Andrew could read that week's assignment. Saturday morning Ted asked the brothers if that was a possibility and they said sure! So.. for now, Andrew is assigned the Bible reading for the week of August 12th. We'll see if we can keep him interested long enough and if he can stay focused on it.
Sunday when we got to the hall, we took the big bible and let him try reading from the podium in the back school. He did pretty well, but he kept losing his place because he'd get distracted by the kids coming in to listen. We'll keep working at it.
Monday July 8th: With little warning, we got Andrew out of bed (he was just waking up) and sent him off to his new school. Daddy signed him up for breakfast there, and dropped him off and went to work. The teachers said he was having a good day and fit right in and made himself at home - and that he particularly enjoyed the playground. Daddy said that when he came to pick him up, Andrew saw him and seemed to hold back tears. Probably tears of relief that he hadn't been forgotten since it was then after 4pm.
Tuesday he went back to Spring Hollow from 9-2. He was very happy to see me and wanted to show me some art he created. I looked at it and we talked about it for a moment, but then I told him to get his socks and shoes on and he fell on the floor crying saying he wanted to play outside. I told him we had an appointment and had to go - but he wouldn't cooperate. I got up to gather his things and he followed me trying to grab my legs like he was afraid I'd try to leave him. I ended up carrying him out. At our visit to Adam Roberts, he was complaining of his stomach hurting. AR said that Andrew is stressed out about something and it had to do with Spring Hollow and the new teacher.
Wednesday morning he told me that while at school on Tuesday, another girl put her hands around his neck and squeezed really hard and hurt him. He demonstrated and made his face turn red. I contacted the lead teacher and she knew nothing of it but when I mentioned the name of the girl she said that Andrew was no doubt telling the truth and she'd talk to their family, and also tell Andrew next time to tell her if someone else is hurting him.
Wednesday I took him to his first real dental cleaning. He was nervous, but a champ. They said he does have one small cavity in the back upper right that they'd like to clear out and seal. lovely.
I took him to Primrose after the dentist, in time to have lunch with him. He kept telling me he didn't want to go - that it wasn't going to be as much fun as Spring Hollow is. When it was time for nap and me to go - he fell apart. I sat with him for just a minute and told him that I would come back after my appt and check on him. It only consoled him long enough for me to get out the door. When I came back, the teacher said he was still unsettled and was upset for 45 minutes but they couldn't sit with him any longer. He saw me and burst into tears so we went out in the hallway and talked and cuddled. I told him it was okay to be scared with all the new changes and that I was so proud of him for trying anyway.. that it will get easier when he learns the routine of it all. I left again when there was only an hour left before daddy could get him and he was about to go outside to play.
Thursday he was coughing more so I didn't send him to Spring Hollow and I cancelled his violin lesson. He was a pill all day. I'm not going to write out how it went because I'd rather forget - but he was very rude and defiant and disagreeable all day over everything. I know it's just because of all the upheaval in our regular routine but it's very taxing on me.
Friday was the same as Thursday. I kept him home so he could get proper nutrition and rest - but it was a very difficult day dealing with him.
Daddy took us out to dinner Friday night so I could have a little break. We went to Olive Garden. It was cute when we were almost done he was conversing with the waitress and then pointed at her and said in a super cute way, "Don't you smile! Don't do it! Don't you smile!" We all laughed. That's what people end up saying to get him to smile when they want to take a photo. He was very agreeable while we were there. He even tried ravioli's, and bread with bruschetta instead of his usual soup.
Saturday we started off the day with a major fight and meltdown over breakfast. I think it was good for him to let out a lot of his frustration and rage in the way of screaming and hitting - but it was very hard to listen to. That was finally diffused and we headed out for field service. He really wanted to read the scripture at the meeting for service but I couldn't get to it fast enough... but I did let him read it at one of my calls. He did a great job and they were very impressed. We had a pleasant morning and went to Sonic with the Buffingtons so the kids could eat together outside and then play on their little playground. That was very good for all of us.
After nap we headed out to Annelise's to start moving some of her things here. Andrew was really good and helpful - and was disobedient only a few times and we avoided some meltdowns. On the way home, he told me he had a grandson. I explained to him that HE is a grandson, not a grandfather but he insisted otherwise. Then he told me a very elaborate story.
His grandson is named Patrick Olivia and lives in Mississippi next to Alabama. He lives in a blue house on a farm. But the house is not built yet because when Andrew was visiting last, a tornado came and sucked up the bricks and Andrew got stuck inside and was very scared. And it sucked up more bricks and he and his grandson were trapped and crying. He went on and on and I didn't quite follow some of it and at this point can't remember either. It was quite long though. At some point he said that he died and would never be seen again. So I asked, "well, did he serve Jehovah?" Andrew said yes. So I said, "Then he can be seen again!" And Andrew recalled that when Jehovah turns the earth into a paradise, he will bring people back to life and he got excited that he'd see Patrick again.
Sunday we had a decent start to the day. He got to help daddy pick a big bowl of blackberries, and later he got to use a remote controlled boat in the pool. He practiced his Bible reading too:
Tuesday I had told Ted I had an idea. His mom would be out here in August, wouldn't it be neat if Andrew could do the Bible Reading that week. His first one, and she'd get to be here for it. So I made sure Andrew could read that week's assignment. Saturday morning Ted asked the brothers if that was a possibility and they said sure! So.. for now, Andrew is assigned the Bible reading for the week of August 12th. We'll see if we can keep him interested long enough and if he can stay focused on it.
Sunday when we got to the hall, we took the big bible and let him try reading from the podium in the back school. He did pretty well, but he kept losing his place because he'd get distracted by the kids coming in to listen. We'll keep working at it.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Trying new things
Monday we went to tour two potential preschools for Andrew. After the second one, all three of us chose that school, The Primrose School. Afterward we took daddy back to work, wasted some time, and then met him for lunch at an Indian Buffet. The food was amazing!! It looked terrible but tasted great. Bombay Bistro. The manager came out and talked with Andrew at good length and told him if he eats all his lunch, he'd give him a chocolate bar. He made friends with the older couple at the table next to us and chatted a bit. They all loved seeing such a young person willing to try all the different foods and liking them.
While at a stoplight: Andrew: "Mom, what's a canoe?"
Me: "It's a kind of boat. You use paddles to push the water and make the boat move forward."
Andrew: "Oars. You use oars, not paddles mom."
Tuesday morning Andrew came running in to my room... "mom, there is food in the toilet with my poo! Come see!" You could see the noodles from last night's dinner and he pointed to the toilet with a big grin on his face. He was a slightly concerned but thought it was cool. And then he said, "but you can't see the carrots or peas."
We had an appointment with Adam Roberts later and I asked him what he was working on. He told me the intestines. I told him about the noodles being undigested and didn't know if it was relevant. He did some more muscle testing on Andrew and told me that Andrew was stressed because he's been given too much information and doesn't know how to process it, and it's resulting in his digestive system reacting. Nothing serious or to be concerned about, that Andrew would be fine.
The convention maybe? I know he was listening because he'd ask me questions. And for the entire drama he was asking me "which one is Mordecai? Who's the king? Is the queen in the pink dress? Why are they wearing those long shirts with belts? Who are they? What are they doing? ..... you get the idea. I was narrating the entire drama the best I could. But then Monday we toured the schools so maybe he's trying to analyze all of that too. Or maybe it's just because we were completely off our usual schedule and he's trying to sort through that.
I realized a lot about Andrew that Tuesday. After our visit with Adam we went back to the Primrose school to give the paperwork and pay registration. They let Andrew visit with the class he'll be with while I did paperwork. He immediately made friends and felt comfortable enough to join in the activities. The children were friendly even to me, so that is a good sign. Anyway... talking to the director, I told her one of my concerns is that it's such a long day for him. Right now he's used to 9-2 or 9-3, and he knows how to read the clock enough and knows when to expect me. I don't want him to get anxious when much time goes by and he hasn't seen us again. And I asked if it was normal for children to be so concerned about what time it is and what is going to happen next, and after that too. She didn't tell me it was normal, but she told me I'm not going to change him and that he had to have gotten it from one of us. That he is the type that wants to know what the entire day holds and has it organized in his mind how it's supposed to play out. And anything, even the question 'do you want to go to the park' will throw his entire day off even if he would enjoy that venture - it's just that he wasn't expecting it and doesn't know how to process it right away. It wasn't in his plans. I realized at that point - that is exactly how I am too. I don't have to have everything planned out for the entire week, but I make a plan for the day when I get up, or maybe the day before - and I'm good at following that plan. When something all of a sudden changes, I can go with it, but it throws me off mentally and emotionally and will stress me out a little bit as I process the changes. poor kid.
I realized then, he NEEDS a regular schedule that doesn't change. Right now, Mondays and Fridays are whatever we need to do days. Tuesdays and Thursdays have been for school at Spring Hollow. Wednesdays Gymnastics. Although he knows what to expect each of those days for the most part, I think he will thrive on every day being the same. I'm feeling better about him going to school full time. I can't really explain why he is obsessed with knowing what is the name of each road we're on, and where we are going, and what roads we need to take to get there and why. I've never met another child like him. But because of my visit with Adam and my revelations while at the school - we're just going to have to indulge him and answer his million and two questions. If we don't - we're only going to stress him out because he's not getting the information he is wanting to process. We try to tell him not to worry about it, to just enjoy the time right now. Even though he'll say, "Okay" he is still
stressing about it. It breaks my heart that he stresses so much, now that I'm recognizing it better.
Andrew was in his carseat and told me, "My stomach hurts. I need to eat some ginger to make it feel better." Not sure where he learned that.. but that's my boy!!!
Thursday it rained. All day. Daddy was working in the workshop and I put a raincoat and boots on Andrew and let him play outside. Ted told me that he was jumping in a puddle for a little bit, but apparently that wasn't enough. Andrew went and found a chair and pushed it by the puddle so he could jump off the chair into the puddle and make a bigger splash.
I overheard him in the other room saying "I'm in the town of Joppa. I'm in the town of Joppa. (pause) I don't know how to spell Joppa. Papa rhymes with Joppa."
Andrew calls me to come wipe his bottom and then puts his feet up on the seat. "Look mom, I was standing on the seat, and that was silly." Then he says, "When I was little, I fell in and someone flushed me down." I told him that didn't really happen and he asks, "Why? Would that be scary?" I told him he's too big to fit down the toilet, even when he was little. He said, "even when I was an eeny teeny tiny baby?" I told him when he was that small, he was still inside me. He had nothing to say to that.
He tells strange stories. For a while he was telling everyone that daddy climbed a tree, fell out and hurt his head. Lately he has been telling everyone that he went to the circus and fell off an animal. They ask which animal and he says he was riding a tiger and the elephant caused him to fall off.
He almost always wants to help me do whatever it is I'm doing - especially if it's cooking. Some days I really just want to get it done quickly and without mess, but then I feel guilty that I'm not including him in the experience. I sometimes let him measure out all the ingredients when I'm baking (and have to send him off to wash his hands repeatedly because he can't resist tasting every ingredient.) Thursday evening he helped daddy pick all the banana peppers and jalapenos from the garden. Then he helped me cut the tops off (yes he got to use the knife) and de-seed them. He also helped grate all the cheese. Then I put cream cheese and bacon bits in them as he stuffed them with cheese and chopped spinach. We made a good team - albeit a slow one. He'd pick up 2-3 threads of shredded cheese at a time and I'd have to tell him to get more, or he'd squeeze the cheese into a big blob and I'd have to tell him not so much. Same with the spinach. Silly boy. He's an extremist sometimes.
Andrew has been asking every day since visiting the Primrose School when he gets to go back. Friday morning, I decided to call the school and ask if they have any part time availability now. He'd love the interaction, I could really use the extra un-divided time to get things ready and done before I start school in August. So, he starts Monday. He'll go to the new school according to Ted's work on M W F, and Spring Hollow from 9-2 on Tues and Thurs. Spring Hollow is only for the next three weeks and then he's done with that. I think this will help him ease into the longer schedule and new environment whilst phasing out the old one. This will also allow me to catch up on my work, and get done all the other things weighing on me that need to get done and I just haven't had the ability or energy to focus on. Lots of changes for all of us!
He told us he wants to do a Bible Reading at the podium in the back school. I told him he had to show me that he could focus on reading from the bible for 4 minutes. Sunday he asked if we could time him while he read from a new brochure. I told him we could, but it had to be from the Bible. I flipped to a chapter in the Psalms that looked relatively easy and set it down in front of him. He started reading and came upon a few big words he had to have help pronouncing. He got frustrated and said he couldn't do it. I explained to him that when someone on stage is reading - it's not the first time they're reading the chapter, they practice it over and over and over again before getting up to read. Andrew was doing *awesome* at reading the chapter. I told him not to worry so much about how long it takes to read, but focus on reading all the words and reading each line without losing place. In less than 8 minutes, he read the entire chapter, and that was with him stopping after a few verses because he thought he couldn't succeed, and also getting up and moving to the couch instead of being at his table. Ted and I both were very impressed. He stuck with it and read the entire chapter, line by line. Ted said he's going to talk to the brothers and see if there is a reading coming up that we can go ahead and let him practice and see how he does.
While at a stoplight: Andrew: "Mom, what's a canoe?"
Me: "It's a kind of boat. You use paddles to push the water and make the boat move forward."
Andrew: "Oars. You use oars, not paddles mom."
Tuesday morning Andrew came running in to my room... "mom, there is food in the toilet with my poo! Come see!" You could see the noodles from last night's dinner and he pointed to the toilet with a big grin on his face. He was a slightly concerned but thought it was cool. And then he said, "but you can't see the carrots or peas."
We had an appointment with Adam Roberts later and I asked him what he was working on. He told me the intestines. I told him about the noodles being undigested and didn't know if it was relevant. He did some more muscle testing on Andrew and told me that Andrew was stressed because he's been given too much information and doesn't know how to process it, and it's resulting in his digestive system reacting. Nothing serious or to be concerned about, that Andrew would be fine.
The convention maybe? I know he was listening because he'd ask me questions. And for the entire drama he was asking me "which one is Mordecai? Who's the king? Is the queen in the pink dress? Why are they wearing those long shirts with belts? Who are they? What are they doing? ..... you get the idea. I was narrating the entire drama the best I could. But then Monday we toured the schools so maybe he's trying to analyze all of that too. Or maybe it's just because we were completely off our usual schedule and he's trying to sort through that.
I realized a lot about Andrew that Tuesday. After our visit with Adam we went back to the Primrose school to give the paperwork and pay registration. They let Andrew visit with the class he'll be with while I did paperwork. He immediately made friends and felt comfortable enough to join in the activities. The children were friendly even to me, so that is a good sign. Anyway... talking to the director, I told her one of my concerns is that it's such a long day for him. Right now he's used to 9-2 or 9-3, and he knows how to read the clock enough and knows when to expect me. I don't want him to get anxious when much time goes by and he hasn't seen us again. And I asked if it was normal for children to be so concerned about what time it is and what is going to happen next, and after that too. She didn't tell me it was normal, but she told me I'm not going to change him and that he had to have gotten it from one of us. That he is the type that wants to know what the entire day holds and has it organized in his mind how it's supposed to play out. And anything, even the question 'do you want to go to the park' will throw his entire day off even if he would enjoy that venture - it's just that he wasn't expecting it and doesn't know how to process it right away. It wasn't in his plans. I realized at that point - that is exactly how I am too. I don't have to have everything planned out for the entire week, but I make a plan for the day when I get up, or maybe the day before - and I'm good at following that plan. When something all of a sudden changes, I can go with it, but it throws me off mentally and emotionally and will stress me out a little bit as I process the changes. poor kid.
I realized then, he NEEDS a regular schedule that doesn't change. Right now, Mondays and Fridays are whatever we need to do days. Tuesdays and Thursdays have been for school at Spring Hollow. Wednesdays Gymnastics. Although he knows what to expect each of those days for the most part, I think he will thrive on every day being the same. I'm feeling better about him going to school full time. I can't really explain why he is obsessed with knowing what is the name of each road we're on, and where we are going, and what roads we need to take to get there and why. I've never met another child like him. But because of my visit with Adam and my revelations while at the school - we're just going to have to indulge him and answer his million and two questions. If we don't - we're only going to stress him out because he's not getting the information he is wanting to process. We try to tell him not to worry about it, to just enjoy the time right now. Even though he'll say, "Okay" he is still
stressing about it. It breaks my heart that he stresses so much, now that I'm recognizing it better.
Andrew was in his carseat and told me, "My stomach hurts. I need to eat some ginger to make it feel better." Not sure where he learned that.. but that's my boy!!!
Thursday it rained. All day. Daddy was working in the workshop and I put a raincoat and boots on Andrew and let him play outside. Ted told me that he was jumping in a puddle for a little bit, but apparently that wasn't enough. Andrew went and found a chair and pushed it by the puddle so he could jump off the chair into the puddle and make a bigger splash.
I overheard him in the other room saying "I'm in the town of Joppa. I'm in the town of Joppa. (pause) I don't know how to spell Joppa. Papa rhymes with Joppa."
Andrew calls me to come wipe his bottom and then puts his feet up on the seat. "Look mom, I was standing on the seat, and that was silly." Then he says, "When I was little, I fell in and someone flushed me down." I told him that didn't really happen and he asks, "Why? Would that be scary?" I told him he's too big to fit down the toilet, even when he was little. He said, "even when I was an eeny teeny tiny baby?" I told him when he was that small, he was still inside me. He had nothing to say to that.
He tells strange stories. For a while he was telling everyone that daddy climbed a tree, fell out and hurt his head. Lately he has been telling everyone that he went to the circus and fell off an animal. They ask which animal and he says he was riding a tiger and the elephant caused him to fall off.
He almost always wants to help me do whatever it is I'm doing - especially if it's cooking. Some days I really just want to get it done quickly and without mess, but then I feel guilty that I'm not including him in the experience. I sometimes let him measure out all the ingredients when I'm baking (and have to send him off to wash his hands repeatedly because he can't resist tasting every ingredient.) Thursday evening he helped daddy pick all the banana peppers and jalapenos from the garden. Then he helped me cut the tops off (yes he got to use the knife) and de-seed them. He also helped grate all the cheese. Then I put cream cheese and bacon bits in them as he stuffed them with cheese and chopped spinach. We made a good team - albeit a slow one. He'd pick up 2-3 threads of shredded cheese at a time and I'd have to tell him to get more, or he'd squeeze the cheese into a big blob and I'd have to tell him not so much. Same with the spinach. Silly boy. He's an extremist sometimes.
Andrew has been asking every day since visiting the Primrose School when he gets to go back. Friday morning, I decided to call the school and ask if they have any part time availability now. He'd love the interaction, I could really use the extra un-divided time to get things ready and done before I start school in August. So, he starts Monday. He'll go to the new school according to Ted's work on M W F, and Spring Hollow from 9-2 on Tues and Thurs. Spring Hollow is only for the next three weeks and then he's done with that. I think this will help him ease into the longer schedule and new environment whilst phasing out the old one. This will also allow me to catch up on my work, and get done all the other things weighing on me that need to get done and I just haven't had the ability or energy to focus on. Lots of changes for all of us!
He told us he wants to do a Bible Reading at the podium in the back school. I told him he had to show me that he could focus on reading from the bible for 4 minutes. Sunday he asked if we could time him while he read from a new brochure. I told him we could, but it had to be from the Bible. I flipped to a chapter in the Psalms that looked relatively easy and set it down in front of him. He started reading and came upon a few big words he had to have help pronouncing. He got frustrated and said he couldn't do it. I explained to him that when someone on stage is reading - it's not the first time they're reading the chapter, they practice it over and over and over again before getting up to read. Andrew was doing *awesome* at reading the chapter. I told him not to worry so much about how long it takes to read, but focus on reading all the words and reading each line without losing place. In less than 8 minutes, he read the entire chapter, and that was with him stopping after a few verses because he thought he couldn't succeed, and also getting up and moving to the couch instead of being at his table. Ted and I both were very impressed. He stuck with it and read the entire chapter, line by line. Ted said he's going to talk to the brothers and see if there is a reading coming up that we can go ahead and let him practice and see how he does.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
To Huntsville
Sunday evening (June 23rd) Andrew built a pretty awesome looking car out of Legos. He built a rectangle and said it was the engine, and then kept adding to it once that was in place on the truck. Monday morning he modified it to be a street sweeper "road cleaner" and then later it became a garbage truck with an arm on the side to lift the trash into the truck.
Then he said to himself, "I want the house to be red" and he started building with red blocks, making an outline. Soon it turned into a maze instead with lots of colors used. He was so proud of it he couldn't wait for daddy to get home to see it.
We had four trees each planted in 5 gallon buckets. Our friend Paula came by to pick them up. Andrew desperately wanted to help and insisted he could carry one. He had to stop and set it down three times between the garden and her car - but I was very proud of his effort. He'd say, "1-2-3-go!" and pick it up again and wobble toward the car saying, "I'm strong!" "I can do this!"
Tuesday he didn't have school so he got to have a nap before violin lesson. It seemed to me like he focused better being tired than he did today! I could tell he was imitating her and things she's said and done in past lessons. Today he deliberately making a 'fox' with his hands instead of a bunny and said 'oh! look what I made! It's a wild animal that starts with F' as if he's trying to quiz her. When she asked him to get out of the chair and stand in position, he pretended he was stuck to the chair. Later she was instructing him on hand placement and he said, "Hold on. My phone is ringing" as he reached for his pocket (I had no idea he had his pretend phone in his pocket). Usually he's 99% focused and cooperative, but today he seemed all over the place.
On the way home, to avoid traffic lights and backed up traffic I took 840 to Carters Creek Pike. He saw the sign for it and asked if this was the way to Nana's house. He'd asked me that before and I thought it was a silly question since it's the opposite direction, but I finally made the connection today. We get off of 840 onto Jefferson Pike to go to Nana's. The Pike in both names confused him.
Thursday (the 27th) afternoon we headed off to Huntsville for the District Convention. He wasn't too eager to stay in a hotel, but he got excited when I said yes to his question, "can I jump on the bed?"
We made a bed for him out of chair cushions and pillows between our two beds - he liked that.
He did SO well sitting all weekend. Friday he was awesome - pretty still and quiet all day. Though at one point he started wiggling his feet up and down fast and his shoe came flying off and landed right in his lap! I was so relieved it didn't fly off somewhere else!
Right off the bat he was listening and asked me, "What does Value mean?" It took me a few minutes to figure out how to define it. I told him it was when you care a lot about something and want to keep it and protect it.
Andrew drew a good picture of a scary monster in his notebook. A few minutes later he did some more scribbling on it and told me something about a diaper. I asked him if the monster was wearing a diaper and he laughed and said, "No! It's not wearing a diaper! It's pooping! It pooed on my head!" And so begins the childish fascination with poo.
At one point, we were standing talking among friends and another one walked by and asked Andrew if they were bothering him. He said, "No, I'm entertaining." He does try to entertain people!
We took him outside after lunch and looked at the fish in the canal and tried to walk a lot. He enjoyed going over the bridges and climbing along a wall and getting to be with Aunt Eese.
After dinner we let him go play in the pool. He had a blast! He adopted another young mom and took turns jumping into her arms over and over. He also made friends with a handicapped person.
Saturday morning I knew it was going to be a long day because he was so full of wiggles and being loud from the second he woke up. We walked to the convention site, the fountain outside was working and shooting water really high. He got excited to see it and likened it to a geyser which they learned about in school recently. He really just wanted to sit at the side of it and watch it come on and off.
We saw the handicapped friend and he went up to say hi to him. As they were saying goodbye, the brother drooled a little bit. Andrew looked a bit disgusted and very matter-of-factly told him, "You're dripping."
He was very interested in the pool at the convention and learning about baptism. He watched it on Saturday with enthusiasm. In the evening, after swimming in the hotel pool, he told us he got baptized there in the pool.
After lunch we went to the pond and he fed leftover bread to the fish and geese. We did a lot of walking and tried to get him to run and jump in the shade of some magnolia trees. After lunch, I wasn't feel well and I knew Andrew needed a nap. So we headed back to the hotel after lunch. On the way down, Andrew tripped on the steps and fell face first. He slid along several steps before catching himself with his arms. It scared us all and hurt his arms; he was a champ about it. Daddy ran around the railing and scooped him up and then set him down at the bottom to 'check and make sure everything still works.' His forearms were red and tender, but everything worked. We continued on to the hotel where he ended up sleeping for nearly 3 hours! We went and had dinner and then it was back to the pool for his physical activity. Everyone would comment to me what a happy boy he is.
Sunday morning Ted and Andrew were walking back to the seats when another woman walked by on the steps. Andrew gasped and said, "you have really red lips!" Ted was relieved that it wasn't anything else! Lately Andrew has asked friends about their big bellies or big bottoms! And recently he told me that I had really gooey eyes just trying to get a laugh. We're never sure what he'll say and we haven't discussed tact.
Sunday afternoon he picked a large maple leaf and brought it to me as a gift. Later he told me I should take it to bed with me and it'd be amazing.
Sunday evening, back at home - he built a car out of legos that had two regular wheels on the front but two squares as wheels on the back. He said it's not a truck, it's a Bep. He added a steering wheel to it and said, "There, my Bep now has a Perp." Ted suggested calling it a burp instead and said "your Bep now has a Burp." They're so silly.
Then he said to himself, "I want the house to be red" and he started building with red blocks, making an outline. Soon it turned into a maze instead with lots of colors used. He was so proud of it he couldn't wait for daddy to get home to see it.
We had four trees each planted in 5 gallon buckets. Our friend Paula came by to pick them up. Andrew desperately wanted to help and insisted he could carry one. He had to stop and set it down three times between the garden and her car - but I was very proud of his effort. He'd say, "1-2-3-go!" and pick it up again and wobble toward the car saying, "I'm strong!" "I can do this!"
Tuesday he didn't have school so he got to have a nap before violin lesson. It seemed to me like he focused better being tired than he did today! I could tell he was imitating her and things she's said and done in past lessons. Today he deliberately making a 'fox' with his hands instead of a bunny and said 'oh! look what I made! It's a wild animal that starts with F' as if he's trying to quiz her. When she asked him to get out of the chair and stand in position, he pretended he was stuck to the chair. Later she was instructing him on hand placement and he said, "Hold on. My phone is ringing" as he reached for his pocket (I had no idea he had his pretend phone in his pocket). Usually he's 99% focused and cooperative, but today he seemed all over the place.
On the way home, to avoid traffic lights and backed up traffic I took 840 to Carters Creek Pike. He saw the sign for it and asked if this was the way to Nana's house. He'd asked me that before and I thought it was a silly question since it's the opposite direction, but I finally made the connection today. We get off of 840 onto Jefferson Pike to go to Nana's. The Pike in both names confused him.
Thursday (the 27th) afternoon we headed off to Huntsville for the District Convention. He wasn't too eager to stay in a hotel, but he got excited when I said yes to his question, "can I jump on the bed?"
We made a bed for him out of chair cushions and pillows between our two beds - he liked that.
He did SO well sitting all weekend. Friday he was awesome - pretty still and quiet all day. Though at one point he started wiggling his feet up and down fast and his shoe came flying off and landed right in his lap! I was so relieved it didn't fly off somewhere else!
Right off the bat he was listening and asked me, "What does Value mean?" It took me a few minutes to figure out how to define it. I told him it was when you care a lot about something and want to keep it and protect it.
Andrew drew a good picture of a scary monster in his notebook. A few minutes later he did some more scribbling on it and told me something about a diaper. I asked him if the monster was wearing a diaper and he laughed and said, "No! It's not wearing a diaper! It's pooping! It pooed on my head!" And so begins the childish fascination with poo.
At one point, we were standing talking among friends and another one walked by and asked Andrew if they were bothering him. He said, "No, I'm entertaining." He does try to entertain people!
We took him outside after lunch and looked at the fish in the canal and tried to walk a lot. He enjoyed going over the bridges and climbing along a wall and getting to be with Aunt Eese.
After dinner we let him go play in the pool. He had a blast! He adopted another young mom and took turns jumping into her arms over and over. He also made friends with a handicapped person.
Saturday morning I knew it was going to be a long day because he was so full of wiggles and being loud from the second he woke up. We walked to the convention site, the fountain outside was working and shooting water really high. He got excited to see it and likened it to a geyser which they learned about in school recently. He really just wanted to sit at the side of it and watch it come on and off.
We saw the handicapped friend and he went up to say hi to him. As they were saying goodbye, the brother drooled a little bit. Andrew looked a bit disgusted and very matter-of-factly told him, "You're dripping."
He was very interested in the pool at the convention and learning about baptism. He watched it on Saturday with enthusiasm. In the evening, after swimming in the hotel pool, he told us he got baptized there in the pool.
After lunch we went to the pond and he fed leftover bread to the fish and geese. We did a lot of walking and tried to get him to run and jump in the shade of some magnolia trees. After lunch, I wasn't feel well and I knew Andrew needed a nap. So we headed back to the hotel after lunch. On the way down, Andrew tripped on the steps and fell face first. He slid along several steps before catching himself with his arms. It scared us all and hurt his arms; he was a champ about it. Daddy ran around the railing and scooped him up and then set him down at the bottom to 'check and make sure everything still works.' His forearms were red and tender, but everything worked. We continued on to the hotel where he ended up sleeping for nearly 3 hours! We went and had dinner and then it was back to the pool for his physical activity. Everyone would comment to me what a happy boy he is.
Sunday morning Ted and Andrew were walking back to the seats when another woman walked by on the steps. Andrew gasped and said, "you have really red lips!" Ted was relieved that it wasn't anything else! Lately Andrew has asked friends about their big bellies or big bottoms! And recently he told me that I had really gooey eyes just trying to get a laugh. We're never sure what he'll say and we haven't discussed tact.
Sunday afternoon he picked a large maple leaf and brought it to me as a gift. Later he told me I should take it to bed with me and it'd be amazing.
Sunday evening, back at home - he built a car out of legos that had two regular wheels on the front but two squares as wheels on the back. He said it's not a truck, it's a Bep. He added a steering wheel to it and said, "There, my Bep now has a Perp." Ted suggested calling it a burp instead and said "your Bep now has a Burp." They're so silly.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
My Little Thinking Man
Tuesday was another violin lesson. First, the teacher took the violin and said she was going to tune it while Andrew practiced holding the bow. She started plucking a string and Andrew said, "Hey! That's the E string!" She said he was right and I about fell out of my chair! I just cannot comprehend how
he learns these things so quickly and seemingly so easily.
Ted took him to gymnastics Wednesday. There was a different teacher than usual and Andrew was hesitant to participate at first. Daddy said that Andrew was very attentive and obedient (which could not be said for a few of the other kids in the small class.) This day they started jumping from a spring board to a pole. Daddy was surprised that he was about the smallest in the class, yet could jump so far.
Thursday morning he came in my room already dressed. He had his superman shirt on and came in singing the tune of the theme song using "dun dun" as the words for each note. He crawled into bed with me and said, "but mommy, but mommy, what if I were a superman?" (imitating the words in the book 'I love you stinkyface')
On the way home from school, he asked me how we float up into Heaven. I told him we don't. He said, "Then how did Jesus float up into heaven?" I told him I didn't really know for sure, I could only guess that Jehovah used his spirit or that the angels have some sort of wings. Andrew said, "Maybe he used his imagination."
Thursday evening our cousins from San Francisco came to visit. He had a nice time playing with McKenna in the pool. He is now launching himself into the pool, nearly doing a belly flop. He'll even spin jump off the deck. This night he asked if he could "fall in backwards." We told him he could and as he stepped backwards to get ready, he stepped a little too far and nearly fell in which startled him. He said, "I don't want to jump backwards now" and turned and jumped in like usual.
He walks around singing a pirate song a lot ... "Yar har fiddley dee, being a pirate is alright with me (something else I can't remember).... I'm a pirate, Arrrr!" But there are a few words in there he isn't sure of so he kind of jumbles and makes some words to fit in the place. He's so cute.
Andrew seems very concerned lately with Satan. He tells me he doesn't want to make Satan happy (we've discussed how when someone hurts another, it makes Satan happy, but Satan isn't our friend and he won't take care of us like Jehovah does) and he knows that Satan will be locked up (and 'go to jail') when Jehovah makes the earth a paradise. He was talking again about it in bed Thursday night. Sometimes it seems like he thinks HE has to destroy Satan. I assured him Jehovah will take care of it all and that Andrew just has to focus on being the good person he is. After I said that he corrected me and told me Jesus was going to lock up Satan. So I agreed, that yes, when Jehovah says it's time, Jesus will lock up Satan for a while. (does he ever stop thinking so deeply??!)
He then asked me if good people ever go to jail. I told him I hope not, because it's really a place for people who do bad things. He asked me what it looks like. I told him I'd never been, but it's like a room with a fence on it, and being locked in that room for a long time. I finally explained to him that he doesn't need to worry about that. That little people like him don't go to jail; adults do. So he asked if mommy or daddy would go to jail. I told him hopefully not - as long as we stay out of trouble and only do good things, we should be able to stay out of jail.
Friday we had appointments with Adam Roberts. He arrived with a bandaid on his finger (from school). The receptionist asked him if he had an "owwie protector." He said, "No, it's just a band-aid."
Later when we were waiting for Nana and Papa, we played in a grassy area next to the parking lot. He squatted next to a large car and was looking under the backend of it. He said, "Wow. It has a big engine, doesn't it? It has two exhaust thingys." (I found out later Ted had told him months ago that when a vehicle has a large engine, it usually has two exhaust pipes.)
Friday after lunch, I took him to The Monkey's Treehouse to play. He was so good. There was another kid his size who was not as kind. He'd go down the slide and Andrew would be at the top checking to see if it was clear to go down, but then the kid would turn around and run back up the inside and go down again; never letting Andrew have a turn. Andrew was being so nice asking for a turn and patiently waiting. Most other kids would go down anyway.
When that place closed at 2pm, we moved up the street to Shipwrecked where he'd been begging to go. He still loves that little red dirt devil vaccum cleaner he remembers from years ago when we went. He'd push it up and down the ramp of the ship and all over the place. He also liked their cars and train tracks.
Sunday his answer during the watchtower was "some are getting sidetracked" and after the meeting a friend came up to him and said, "So.. some get sidetracked. Do you even know what sidetracked means?" Andrew just looks up at him and says, "distracted." My kid is awesome. (yes I did tell him the meaning of the word when we went over the watchtower lesson earlier in the morning. I was surprised that he remembered though.)
Sunday after meeting I said, "let's get you out of your clothes" and started unbuttoning his vest. He said, "I can do these buttons! Hold on Skippy!" I had to leave the room just so I could laugh.
he learns these things so quickly and seemingly so easily.
Ted took him to gymnastics Wednesday. There was a different teacher than usual and Andrew was hesitant to participate at first. Daddy said that Andrew was very attentive and obedient (which could not be said for a few of the other kids in the small class.) This day they started jumping from a spring board to a pole. Daddy was surprised that he was about the smallest in the class, yet could jump so far.
Thursday morning he came in my room already dressed. He had his superman shirt on and came in singing the tune of the theme song using "dun dun" as the words for each note. He crawled into bed with me and said, "but mommy, but mommy, what if I were a superman?" (imitating the words in the book 'I love you stinkyface')
On the way home from school, he asked me how we float up into Heaven. I told him we don't. He said, "Then how did Jesus float up into heaven?" I told him I didn't really know for sure, I could only guess that Jehovah used his spirit or that the angels have some sort of wings. Andrew said, "Maybe he used his imagination."
Thursday evening our cousins from San Francisco came to visit. He had a nice time playing with McKenna in the pool. He is now launching himself into the pool, nearly doing a belly flop. He'll even spin jump off the deck. This night he asked if he could "fall in backwards." We told him he could and as he stepped backwards to get ready, he stepped a little too far and nearly fell in which startled him. He said, "I don't want to jump backwards now" and turned and jumped in like usual.
He walks around singing a pirate song a lot ... "Yar har fiddley dee, being a pirate is alright with me (something else I can't remember).... I'm a pirate, Arrrr!" But there are a few words in there he isn't sure of so he kind of jumbles and makes some words to fit in the place. He's so cute.
Andrew seems very concerned lately with Satan. He tells me he doesn't want to make Satan happy (we've discussed how when someone hurts another, it makes Satan happy, but Satan isn't our friend and he won't take care of us like Jehovah does) and he knows that Satan will be locked up (and 'go to jail') when Jehovah makes the earth a paradise. He was talking again about it in bed Thursday night. Sometimes it seems like he thinks HE has to destroy Satan. I assured him Jehovah will take care of it all and that Andrew just has to focus on being the good person he is. After I said that he corrected me and told me Jesus was going to lock up Satan. So I agreed, that yes, when Jehovah says it's time, Jesus will lock up Satan for a while. (does he ever stop thinking so deeply??!)
He then asked me if good people ever go to jail. I told him I hope not, because it's really a place for people who do bad things. He asked me what it looks like. I told him I'd never been, but it's like a room with a fence on it, and being locked in that room for a long time. I finally explained to him that he doesn't need to worry about that. That little people like him don't go to jail; adults do. So he asked if mommy or daddy would go to jail. I told him hopefully not - as long as we stay out of trouble and only do good things, we should be able to stay out of jail.
Friday we had appointments with Adam Roberts. He arrived with a bandaid on his finger (from school). The receptionist asked him if he had an "owwie protector." He said, "No, it's just a band-aid."
Later when we were waiting for Nana and Papa, we played in a grassy area next to the parking lot. He squatted next to a large car and was looking under the backend of it. He said, "Wow. It has a big engine, doesn't it? It has two exhaust thingys." (I found out later Ted had told him months ago that when a vehicle has a large engine, it usually has two exhaust pipes.)
Friday after lunch, I took him to The Monkey's Treehouse to play. He was so good. There was another kid his size who was not as kind. He'd go down the slide and Andrew would be at the top checking to see if it was clear to go down, but then the kid would turn around and run back up the inside and go down again; never letting Andrew have a turn. Andrew was being so nice asking for a turn and patiently waiting. Most other kids would go down anyway.
When that place closed at 2pm, we moved up the street to Shipwrecked where he'd been begging to go. He still loves that little red dirt devil vaccum cleaner he remembers from years ago when we went. He'd push it up and down the ramp of the ship and all over the place. He also liked their cars and train tracks.
Sunday his answer during the watchtower was "some are getting sidetracked" and after the meeting a friend came up to him and said, "So.. some get sidetracked. Do you even know what sidetracked means?" Andrew just looks up at him and says, "distracted." My kid is awesome. (yes I did tell him the meaning of the word when we went over the watchtower lesson earlier in the morning. I was surprised that he remembered though.)
Sunday after meeting I said, "let's get you out of your clothes" and started unbuttoning his vest. He said, "I can do these buttons! Hold on Skippy!" I had to leave the room just so I could laugh.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Our little water boy
Tuesday I had to get him from school early because it was the only time Adam Roberts could see us that day. As we were leaving, he picked up a small rock and told me he was bringing a treasure with him. As Adam was leading us down the hallway, Andrew tells him that he brought a treasure with him, for Adam. Adam said he'd have to find a special place for such a treasure, and when we went into the office, there was a little candle dish with rocks in it. He let Andrew choose a place in with the other rocks to lay the treasure.
Then after Andrew's treatment, he picked an oil that he thought Andrew would like and put some on a q-tip for Andrew to keep. Andrew said it was his treasure that Adam gave him. He made sure Adam gave me a treasure also.
He had his second violin lesson. I was very proud of him for remembering the names of the strings (forward and backward!!), and how to properly hold the bow. Today he learned how to properly stand and got to practice playing on the E string. He did really really well for having had a long day.
Daddy asked him what he learned at school today and he said, "Music is a show for everyone to hear." I thought that was a nice way to describe music. And he said he got to play the drums. He also told me about making a guitar out of "plastic things" and "colored rubber bands" and that he wanted to play it again but it broke. He was hoping we had colored rubber bands at home to make a new one. (I never got to see what he was talking about.)
Andrew made a mature observation and inquiry. He told me that we're not allowed to jump on furniture and I told him he was correct. Then he asked, "But isn't the trampoline furniture?" So I explained that it's equipment designed only for jumping and that was appropriate use of it. The rest of the furniture was not.
Thursday evening we let him play a video game. Daddy mowed the lawn and I had to finish some work. When he was tired of playing Mario Kart, he called to me asking for help. My response was "hold on just a minute." He waited a few seconds before saying, "Mommmmieeeee, you're wasting time! You're wasting time Mom!" (He's heard me tell him that he's wasting his play time when he's standing around waiting for me to finish my own project rather than starting to play without me.)
Friday morning we had appointments with Adam Roberts. He really hoped that he could go alone. I told him that I probably had to come with him, but I'd ask. Sure enough, Adam can't legally see children without parents in the room. Andrew was really disappointed and acted all bashful and almost upset with Adam. He was cool about it though and told Andrew that he needed some help. He pulled out two oils and asked him to smell them and tell him which one smelled better. Andrew perked right up, ready to be helpful, and was happy after that.
Andrew liked Bergamot the most. Adam said, "Do you know about Italy? Have you learned about countries?" Andrew said, "I know about countries! I've been to Splash Country at Dollywood!" We both got a good laugh out of that and thought it was a brilliant response.
Saturday we went to help a friend move. Andrew excitedly told him, "We're moving someone else in August! We're moving Annelise!" Our friend asked, "Is she cute?" Andrew said, "Yeah.. but that's beside the point." He's hilarious.
In the evening I hosted a Glamour Girl party. When I was putting makeup on one friend he begged, "I want to paint Linda! Can I paint Linda too?" Later he told her how beautiful she was.
Sunday we had a double going-away party. He had a BLAST with all the kids in the pool with him. Lots of splashing. There were some girls lined up on the side of the pool and Ted told him to splash them by jumping in. He smiled, said, "Okay!" and leaped in. After that - he was fine jumping in all by himself (with his life jacket on) over and over and over. Later in the evening he'd hold his breathe and put his face under the water and try to swim on top. He was very proud of his efforts (as were we)
Then after Andrew's treatment, he picked an oil that he thought Andrew would like and put some on a q-tip for Andrew to keep. Andrew said it was his treasure that Adam gave him. He made sure Adam gave me a treasure also.
He had his second violin lesson. I was very proud of him for remembering the names of the strings (forward and backward!!), and how to properly hold the bow. Today he learned how to properly stand and got to practice playing on the E string. He did really really well for having had a long day.
Daddy asked him what he learned at school today and he said, "Music is a show for everyone to hear." I thought that was a nice way to describe music. And he said he got to play the drums. He also told me about making a guitar out of "plastic things" and "colored rubber bands" and that he wanted to play it again but it broke. He was hoping we had colored rubber bands at home to make a new one. (I never got to see what he was talking about.)
Andrew made a mature observation and inquiry. He told me that we're not allowed to jump on furniture and I told him he was correct. Then he asked, "But isn't the trampoline furniture?" So I explained that it's equipment designed only for jumping and that was appropriate use of it. The rest of the furniture was not.
Thursday evening we let him play a video game. Daddy mowed the lawn and I had to finish some work. When he was tired of playing Mario Kart, he called to me asking for help. My response was "hold on just a minute." He waited a few seconds before saying, "Mommmmieeeee, you're wasting time! You're wasting time Mom!" (He's heard me tell him that he's wasting his play time when he's standing around waiting for me to finish my own project rather than starting to play without me.)
Friday morning we had appointments with Adam Roberts. He really hoped that he could go alone. I told him that I probably had to come with him, but I'd ask. Sure enough, Adam can't legally see children without parents in the room. Andrew was really disappointed and acted all bashful and almost upset with Adam. He was cool about it though and told Andrew that he needed some help. He pulled out two oils and asked him to smell them and tell him which one smelled better. Andrew perked right up, ready to be helpful, and was happy after that.
Andrew liked Bergamot the most. Adam said, "Do you know about Italy? Have you learned about countries?" Andrew said, "I know about countries! I've been to Splash Country at Dollywood!" We both got a good laugh out of that and thought it was a brilliant response.
Saturday we went to help a friend move. Andrew excitedly told him, "We're moving someone else in August! We're moving Annelise!" Our friend asked, "Is she cute?" Andrew said, "Yeah.. but that's beside the point." He's hilarious.
In the evening I hosted a Glamour Girl party. When I was putting makeup on one friend he begged, "I want to paint Linda! Can I paint Linda too?" Later he told her how beautiful she was.
Sunday we had a double going-away party. He had a BLAST with all the kids in the pool with him. Lots of splashing. There were some girls lined up on the side of the pool and Ted told him to splash them by jumping in. He smiled, said, "Okay!" and leaped in. After that - he was fine jumping in all by himself (with his life jacket on) over and over and over. Later in the evening he'd hold his breathe and put his face under the water and try to swim on top. He was very proud of his efforts (as were we)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
"I'm gonna draw a picture and it's gonna be scary!"
A few days ago, Ann Arnold was showing Andrew some pictures on her iphone of her grandkids and a car they built (kind of like a pvc pipe kit). They were at our Sunday meeting and when Andrew saw Nolan, he ran up to him and said, "Nolan! I really liked the car you built!" Nolan had no idea what he was talking about and why, but I did and thought it was such a nice gesture.
After the meeting Joy told me that he was talking to her and ran out of things to say. There was a bit of a pause and then he shrugged his shoulders as he said, "Okay, well, I'm gonna go find my friend Parker." She was humored by that.
Monday we had a fun day. We went to the little park first, but because the air was cool, I decided it'd be okay to go to the big park where there is no shade. This made Andrew very happy. He had wanted to go to the big park and told me it's more fun there. He played for a little bit and then saw a boy running on the paved trail and asked what he was doing. I said he was probably practicing running. He decided he wanted to try. So, we ran. This kid can RUN! I had a hard time keeping up with him!! As we were coming around to the park entrance again, Ann Arnold showed up with Nolan and Noah. They decided to run too and they were impressed too. One of them told me that if he keeps that up, he's going to be running as fast as a four-wheeler. Soon, Linda Vaal brought Allison and Cole, and later Kellie Pingle brought Samantha. They all had a good time together.
After lunch, I got Andrew down for a nap. Ann and Linda brought the kids over to our house to swim so I woke him up after he'd been asleep for an hour. I whispered to him and his eyes slowly opened. Then he sat up quickly, "Mom! Can we invite my friends over to play now?" I told him they were already here and in the pool and he couldn't get out of bed fast enough! They had a blast in the pool.
Jenn and Houston came for dinner Monday. After dinner Andrew felt her belly and asked if he could feel the baby yet. She told him the baby was too small still to feel, but it was growing inside there. He blurts out, "That's clever!"
Tuesday was his first day back to school for their summer program. It was pirate themed so he wore his pirate hat and went around saying, "Ahoy Matey!" and "Aye aye Captain!" They built two big ships out of cardboard boxes, and made some costumes. He enjoyed playing in the sprinkler outside too. After school and extra playground time, I told him he was getting his first violin lesson. He was super excited. I think he did really well, he stayed focused and was kind and obedient. I was proud of him and amazed that he wasn't overtired for it. She showed him a lot in his half hour lesson.
I can't remember where we were, not home.. and he looked distressed. I asked him if he needed to go potty and he said, "No. My undercarriage hurts right here." :( Poor guy! I love how he told me though. And he was trying to be discreet about it.
Early Wednesday morning he was sitting on the gazelle and making it swing fast. He said, "Mommy look! I'm going really fast! Fast like..... who is it that goes fast? Speed.. speed..." I suggested Lightning McQueen since he says 'speed. I am speed.' He said "No.... Speed Racer!" I found a pair of pjs with cars on it that looked like they'd fit him right now and Ted said it was speed racer. So we call him speed racer whenever he's wearing them (even though he and I have no idea who that is)
Wednesday morning at breakfast, Andrew wanted to learn more of the Bible book song. He showed me he could sing all the way to Acts. I am so proud of him - I can't believe how fast he learns it. It only takes him about 10 minutes to learn 4-6 books and I make sure he has those down before I'll teach him more. So this morning I only introduced "Romans and the Corinthians, that's the way it all begins." Since it has extra words in it, I'll teach him the next books when he asks.
After gymnastics we went to Kroger. We saw Andy Zylstra there and they had matching buzzed haircuts. Andy said, "Can I feel your head?" then Andrew asked to feel his and he leaned down and let Andrew feel it. He said, "Woah! It feels soft and fluffy!" Then he asked Andy what happened to his belly. Andy tapped his stomach and said, "This belly?" Andrew said "No!" and stood on tippy toes to reach the top of Andy's stomach. Andy frowned and shook his head.
Wednesday evening at dinner, Andrew was trying to scoop his cole slaw onto his fork and eat it. One scoop fell off and an empty fork went into his mouth. He said, "Ha! I ate zero. It fell off my fork."
We followed the picture instructions and he made a robot out of those blocks that snap together. He was very pleased with it and enjoyed playing with it most of the evening. He tried to take it to bed with him but I wouldn't let him.
In a kind of mean warning voice, "Strangers! I'm gonna draw a picture and it's gonna be scary!" I overheard this as he was sitting at the table with his ipad and some paper.
Thursday afternoon I asked Andrew if he'd like to help make a veggie pizza for dinner. He said no until I told him I'd let him use the knife to cut the vegetables. "A kids knife?" I told him a real one - and then he was totally on board! I was very proud of him (and rather impressed) that he listened and kept his fingers away from the blade and didn't try to do anything fast. I could tell when he was chopping the shredded carrots and onions that he'd watched me before as he held the blade with his fingers and moved it around the board as he chopped. When he was grating the carrots - they pretty much went all over the counter. And when he was putting the veggies on the pizza, he favored the center of it and one corner. lol I had to help him spread it all over the pizza. He was a good helper.
Starting Wednesday after nap he woke up with his left eyelid looking swollen, dark under his eyes, and yellow discharge from his eye, and some yellow crust along his eyelid. I know Tuesday on the playground there were tractors mowing the adjacent field but I didn't know if he was having allergies or developed pinkeye. I gave him some homeopathics and some herbs and vitamin C and kept him home. Thursday his eye looked perfectly normal so I sent him off to school. Friday, his lid looked slightly swollen again and pink. I took him to see Adam Roberts who said he wasn't sure that it was 'just' allergies, but he definitely had them and badly. So now I have to take him in 2 times a week until it gets worked out.
Saturday he got to play outside a lot. He rode his bike all the way to the end of the street and back to the creek without stopping to play. He paused at one point going uphill and said his legs were tired. Ted told him he could get off and push the bike and I said I could help him but he hopped back on and kept going! On the way back he slipped out of his shoes and got into the water but the waterglider bugs made him too nervous. Then when he jumped into an area, a hard shell hurt the bottom of his foot. It wasn't so fun afterall.
Later in the afternoon I let him go swimming. I invited kids over to play, but it didn't work out. He got out once and told me, "I need other kids to play with!" I told him I tried. I invited Linda Vaal to come hang out with me poolside and he held up three fingers and told her, "There needs to be three kids. Andrew is one, and Ally and Cole!" They were busy already but of course he associates her with having the grandkids along.
After the meeting Joy told me that he was talking to her and ran out of things to say. There was a bit of a pause and then he shrugged his shoulders as he said, "Okay, well, I'm gonna go find my friend Parker." She was humored by that.
Monday we had a fun day. We went to the little park first, but because the air was cool, I decided it'd be okay to go to the big park where there is no shade. This made Andrew very happy. He had wanted to go to the big park and told me it's more fun there. He played for a little bit and then saw a boy running on the paved trail and asked what he was doing. I said he was probably practicing running. He decided he wanted to try. So, we ran. This kid can RUN! I had a hard time keeping up with him!! As we were coming around to the park entrance again, Ann Arnold showed up with Nolan and Noah. They decided to run too and they were impressed too. One of them told me that if he keeps that up, he's going to be running as fast as a four-wheeler. Soon, Linda Vaal brought Allison and Cole, and later Kellie Pingle brought Samantha. They all had a good time together.
After lunch, I got Andrew down for a nap. Ann and Linda brought the kids over to our house to swim so I woke him up after he'd been asleep for an hour. I whispered to him and his eyes slowly opened. Then he sat up quickly, "Mom! Can we invite my friends over to play now?" I told him they were already here and in the pool and he couldn't get out of bed fast enough! They had a blast in the pool.
Jenn and Houston came for dinner Monday. After dinner Andrew felt her belly and asked if he could feel the baby yet. She told him the baby was too small still to feel, but it was growing inside there. He blurts out, "That's clever!"
Tuesday was his first day back to school for their summer program. It was pirate themed so he wore his pirate hat and went around saying, "Ahoy Matey!" and "Aye aye Captain!" They built two big ships out of cardboard boxes, and made some costumes. He enjoyed playing in the sprinkler outside too. After school and extra playground time, I told him he was getting his first violin lesson. He was super excited. I think he did really well, he stayed focused and was kind and obedient. I was proud of him and amazed that he wasn't overtired for it. She showed him a lot in his half hour lesson.
I can't remember where we were, not home.. and he looked distressed. I asked him if he needed to go potty and he said, "No. My undercarriage hurts right here." :( Poor guy! I love how he told me though. And he was trying to be discreet about it.
Early Wednesday morning he was sitting on the gazelle and making it swing fast. He said, "Mommy look! I'm going really fast! Fast like..... who is it that goes fast? Speed.. speed..." I suggested Lightning McQueen since he says 'speed. I am speed.' He said "No.... Speed Racer!" I found a pair of pjs with cars on it that looked like they'd fit him right now and Ted said it was speed racer. So we call him speed racer whenever he's wearing them (even though he and I have no idea who that is)
Wednesday morning at breakfast, Andrew wanted to learn more of the Bible book song. He showed me he could sing all the way to Acts. I am so proud of him - I can't believe how fast he learns it. It only takes him about 10 minutes to learn 4-6 books and I make sure he has those down before I'll teach him more. So this morning I only introduced "Romans and the Corinthians, that's the way it all begins." Since it has extra words in it, I'll teach him the next books when he asks.
After gymnastics we went to Kroger. We saw Andy Zylstra there and they had matching buzzed haircuts. Andy said, "Can I feel your head?" then Andrew asked to feel his and he leaned down and let Andrew feel it. He said, "Woah! It feels soft and fluffy!" Then he asked Andy what happened to his belly. Andy tapped his stomach and said, "This belly?" Andrew said "No!" and stood on tippy toes to reach the top of Andy's stomach. Andy frowned and shook his head.
Wednesday evening at dinner, Andrew was trying to scoop his cole slaw onto his fork and eat it. One scoop fell off and an empty fork went into his mouth. He said, "Ha! I ate zero. It fell off my fork."
We followed the picture instructions and he made a robot out of those blocks that snap together. He was very pleased with it and enjoyed playing with it most of the evening. He tried to take it to bed with him but I wouldn't let him.
In a kind of mean warning voice, "Strangers! I'm gonna draw a picture and it's gonna be scary!" I overheard this as he was sitting at the table with his ipad and some paper.
Thursday afternoon I asked Andrew if he'd like to help make a veggie pizza for dinner. He said no until I told him I'd let him use the knife to cut the vegetables. "A kids knife?" I told him a real one - and then he was totally on board! I was very proud of him (and rather impressed) that he listened and kept his fingers away from the blade and didn't try to do anything fast. I could tell when he was chopping the shredded carrots and onions that he'd watched me before as he held the blade with his fingers and moved it around the board as he chopped. When he was grating the carrots - they pretty much went all over the counter. And when he was putting the veggies on the pizza, he favored the center of it and one corner. lol I had to help him spread it all over the pizza. He was a good helper.
Starting Wednesday after nap he woke up with his left eyelid looking swollen, dark under his eyes, and yellow discharge from his eye, and some yellow crust along his eyelid. I know Tuesday on the playground there were tractors mowing the adjacent field but I didn't know if he was having allergies or developed pinkeye. I gave him some homeopathics and some herbs and vitamin C and kept him home. Thursday his eye looked perfectly normal so I sent him off to school. Friday, his lid looked slightly swollen again and pink. I took him to see Adam Roberts who said he wasn't sure that it was 'just' allergies, but he definitely had them and badly. So now I have to take him in 2 times a week until it gets worked out.
Saturday he got to play outside a lot. He rode his bike all the way to the end of the street and back to the creek without stopping to play. He paused at one point going uphill and said his legs were tired. Ted told him he could get off and push the bike and I said I could help him but he hopped back on and kept going! On the way back he slipped out of his shoes and got into the water but the waterglider bugs made him too nervous. Then when he jumped into an area, a hard shell hurt the bottom of his foot. It wasn't so fun afterall.
Later in the afternoon I let him go swimming. I invited kids over to play, but it didn't work out. He got out once and told me, "I need other kids to play with!" I told him I tried. I invited Linda Vaal to come hang out with me poolside and he held up three fingers and told her, "There needs to be three kids. Andrew is one, and Ally and Cole!" They were busy already but of course he associates her with having the grandkids along.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)