Every week at some point, Grandpa Tiny goes to the store to pick up some fresh fruit that he feels we need around the house. When he comes home, he usually goes on a bit of a rambling, mild rant about the way prices have changed since the Depression Era. It's really become a highlight of my week. I love to hear him talk about the way things were and his "When I was your age" moments. A few days ago, he somehow got on the subject of how things have changed in the media over the decades. He told me that way back when, if something happened in the world, people wouldn't hear about it for several days. And then he went on to say, "The way it is now, if someone farts in Moscow you can hear about it right away if you want to." Ah, the words of a wise man.
______
Recently at one of our Sunday dinners, we got on the subject of fish. Declan informed us that the only type of fish he likes is the kind that's shaped like a spacebar. I couldn't figure out what in the world he meant. Thankfully, Aunt Andrea was around to translate that into fish sticks for me. Talk about a generation gap - when I was your age, I didn't know what a spacebar was.
______
Declan told me today that when he grows up, he plans on living in my house. I asked what kind of job he was going to have. "I don't think I'll have one." I asked how he planned on getting money. "Okay, I guess I'll have a job." I asked if he was going to have a wife. "Ummmm....I don't know!" Fair enough. I asked if he was going to have kids. At this point I think he got a little exasperated with me, because he sighed and said in a bit of a duh tone, "All grown-ups have kids, Mommy. And you know what? There are these balls inside my weiner and those are my kids." Then he left the kitchen, probably to avoid more questions. I think he's got a fairly age-appropriate understanding of sex education, so I'll let that particular conversation go.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Happy Birthday, Logan!
Ok, I know I'm several days late on this. It's been months since I posted anything here and I have a million excuses for that. Just ask me. I can whip out a list like nobody's business.
Logan turned 7 last Friday (the 1st of October, for the lazy). If you ask him how he feels, he'll tell you something like, "Not that much different than being 6." He'll probably shrug a little, too.
I've tried to keep up a few birthday traditions with the boys. One is that when we celebrate the birthday as a family, everyone goes around the table and says what they love about that person. (I guess Andrea is a little worn on the tradition because she seemed to think we just did this. Though in my defense, the last time was in May for Declan.) The other is that I put up a post in the blog about the birthday child. Yes, I like my sappy stuff. But the ultimate goal is to be able to go back through this when the kids are grown-er and see what sorts of things have changed about them and what things have stayed as core parts of who they are.
Anyway, on to the show:
Logan has been doing wonderfully in the first grade. He hasn't had any trouble with his reading or spelling or math concepts. He also has a lot of friends - pretty much everyone he talks to he considers his friend. Last weekend he met a new friend who told Logan he was his new best friend. Logan responded to this boy that he was Logan's 31st best friend. The reasoning is that Logan likes all his friends equally and doesn't want to put any one above another. It sounds reasonable from that perspective, but hearing you're 31st in line of best-friendship isn't as pleasant.
Over the summer before the boys left for their trip to Rhode Island, Logan and a couple friends discovered talking on the phone together. Over the nearly 6-weeks of summer that they were gone, this particular art of friendship was lost. However, it's recently been recovered and many days Logan comes home from school just to get on the phone with a friend. He then takes it outside (for privacy?) and they go about planning their upcoming school breaks together. Well, that's what I hear about anyway. It's so very teenage girly and since when do kids talk on the phone like that in first grade? Am I that out of touch? Don't answer that.
Logan is still accepting of affection without being eager to give it back. He seems to understand that people like hugs and it's important to some people to give and receive them. So he'll let you hug him. And he'll patiently wait until you get it out and then move on. Sometimes Grandma Sue hugs him and won't let go for several minutes, and Logan very sweetly waits until she's ready to release him. I love that about him. He likes being *near* people, just not necessarily within touching distance. In this way, he's so very Opposite Declan.
Logan's sense of humor has been developing along the lines of his Dad and Grandpa (and maybe some parts of his Mom). He is starting to get a dry, sarcastic flavor to his jokes and quips. Again, I think he's too young for that stuff, but it pops up here and there. I'm still quite surprised by it when I hear it. However, he is still subject to 7-year-old boy humor - farts, poops, really dumb jokes, etc. He and Declan can laugh until they puke when they get talking about those kinds of things.
I love this kid. I love that he's such a good friend. I love that he's fun and kind and compassionate. He loves giving presents as much as he loves getting them. He regularly tells us that he loves whatever has been made for dinner. Most of the time he's willing to try any new food and lately has been developing a bit of a taste for hot and spicy stuff. He's your basic healthy and happy boy and I'm so lucky he's mine.
Logan turned 7 last Friday (the 1st of October, for the lazy). If you ask him how he feels, he'll tell you something like, "Not that much different than being 6." He'll probably shrug a little, too.
I've tried to keep up a few birthday traditions with the boys. One is that when we celebrate the birthday as a family, everyone goes around the table and says what they love about that person. (I guess Andrea is a little worn on the tradition because she seemed to think we just did this. Though in my defense, the last time was in May for Declan.) The other is that I put up a post in the blog about the birthday child. Yes, I like my sappy stuff. But the ultimate goal is to be able to go back through this when the kids are grown-er and see what sorts of things have changed about them and what things have stayed as core parts of who they are.
Anyway, on to the show:
Logan has been doing wonderfully in the first grade. He hasn't had any trouble with his reading or spelling or math concepts. He also has a lot of friends - pretty much everyone he talks to he considers his friend. Last weekend he met a new friend who told Logan he was his new best friend. Logan responded to this boy that he was Logan's 31st best friend. The reasoning is that Logan likes all his friends equally and doesn't want to put any one above another. It sounds reasonable from that perspective, but hearing you're 31st in line of best-friendship isn't as pleasant.
Over the summer before the boys left for their trip to Rhode Island, Logan and a couple friends discovered talking on the phone together. Over the nearly 6-weeks of summer that they were gone, this particular art of friendship was lost. However, it's recently been recovered and many days Logan comes home from school just to get on the phone with a friend. He then takes it outside (for privacy?) and they go about planning their upcoming school breaks together. Well, that's what I hear about anyway. It's so very teenage girly and since when do kids talk on the phone like that in first grade? Am I that out of touch? Don't answer that.
Logan is still accepting of affection without being eager to give it back. He seems to understand that people like hugs and it's important to some people to give and receive them. So he'll let you hug him. And he'll patiently wait until you get it out and then move on. Sometimes Grandma Sue hugs him and won't let go for several minutes, and Logan very sweetly waits until she's ready to release him. I love that about him. He likes being *near* people, just not necessarily within touching distance. In this way, he's so very Opposite Declan.
Logan's sense of humor has been developing along the lines of his Dad and Grandpa (and maybe some parts of his Mom). He is starting to get a dry, sarcastic flavor to his jokes and quips. Again, I think he's too young for that stuff, but it pops up here and there. I'm still quite surprised by it when I hear it. However, he is still subject to 7-year-old boy humor - farts, poops, really dumb jokes, etc. He and Declan can laugh until they puke when they get talking about those kinds of things.
I love this kid. I love that he's such a good friend. I love that he's fun and kind and compassionate. He loves giving presents as much as he loves getting them. He regularly tells us that he loves whatever has been made for dinner. Most of the time he's willing to try any new food and lately has been developing a bit of a taste for hot and spicy stuff. He's your basic healthy and happy boy and I'm so lucky he's mine.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
On hold...
The boys are in the midst of their forever-long vacation and therefore, I have little mischief to report.
To tide you over until their return:
A few weeks ago, Logan and I were going through some of the apps in my phone. I brought up the Google Translate app and told him he could speak into the microphone of the phone and the program would translate whatever he said into a different language. So he takes the phone, holds it close to his mouth, then loudly says, "BOOBIES!"
From Ed:
"We're watching Roger Rabbit, and the boys are only half paying attention while they play with legos. Jessica Rabbit shows up, singing her song. Logan could care less, but Declan drops everything, hypnotized. "Whooooa... That girl is pretty." He was entranced until she left the screen, then went back to playing."
To tide you over until their return:
A few weeks ago, Logan and I were going through some of the apps in my phone. I brought up the Google Translate app and told him he could speak into the microphone of the phone and the program would translate whatever he said into a different language. So he takes the phone, holds it close to his mouth, then loudly says, "BOOBIES!"
From Ed:
"We're watching Roger Rabbit, and the boys are only half paying attention while they play with legos. Jessica Rabbit shows up, singing her song. Logan could care less, but Declan drops everything, hypnotized. "Whooooa... That girl is pretty." He was entranced until she left the screen, then went back to playing."
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Growing up?
Declan seems to have changed recently in regards to how he deals with his anger and frustration. He's somehow gotten it into his head that saying really hurtful things when he's mad (like when he tells me he hates me or he's not going to let me hug or kiss him anymore, etc.) is, well, hurtful. He's turned a corner in that, and I'm happy to see it.
Of course, he being five, he's got a limited ability to express himself and that combined with his control over what he says when he's angry has turned out some funny moments. Like the time when he furiously told me he wasn't going to let me do anything for him anymore. (Me: Fine. I won't do a thing for you. No problem. Declan: NO! Wait! You can do things for me again!) Or the time when he got so angry with me he assured me he was never going to love my lasagna again. (About an hour later after his angry switch had been flipped back to happy, he sought me out to give me a hug and reassure me that he does indeed love my lasagna.)
He tries hard to control himself when he's angry. Instead of hitting, he's moved on to acting like he's going to hit. Sometimes he just stands there and fumes loudly, eyebrows furrowed, nostrils flared, breathing heavily in and out, much like an angry, angry dragon that's about two seconds away from breathing fire. There's definitely some work to do, and he'll probably have to grow up a bit we make more significant strides. But he's trying. And we talk and talk and talk about how to appropriately deal with being angry or frustrated. He knows what to do when we discuss it, but in the moment the emotions run hot and it's not so easy to keep calm. And I'm all, "Believe me. I totally get it."
Of course, he being five, he's got a limited ability to express himself and that combined with his control over what he says when he's angry has turned out some funny moments. Like the time when he furiously told me he wasn't going to let me do anything for him anymore. (Me: Fine. I won't do a thing for you. No problem. Declan: NO! Wait! You can do things for me again!) Or the time when he got so angry with me he assured me he was never going to love my lasagna again. (About an hour later after his angry switch had been flipped back to happy, he sought me out to give me a hug and reassure me that he does indeed love my lasagna.)
He tries hard to control himself when he's angry. Instead of hitting, he's moved on to acting like he's going to hit. Sometimes he just stands there and fumes loudly, eyebrows furrowed, nostrils flared, breathing heavily in and out, much like an angry, angry dragon that's about two seconds away from breathing fire. There's definitely some work to do, and he'll probably have to grow up a bit we make more significant strides. But he's trying. And we talk and talk and talk about how to appropriately deal with being angry or frustrated. He knows what to do when we discuss it, but in the moment the emotions run hot and it's not so easy to keep calm. And I'm all, "Believe me. I totally get it."
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sickness, Kindergarten, and other Fun Stories
Last Friday night I let the boys stay up late watching a movie. Saturday morning, Declan woke up with red, puffy eyes. I assumed it was because he didn't get enough sleep. However, over the next few days the puffiness/redness never went away so we thought maybe it's a random allergy that's showed up all of a sudden and with a vengeance. We've attempted to treat him with Benadryl, but it never really seemed to help more than puffy reduction for a few hours. Last night, he woke up around midnight looking like this, coughing and wheezing. His cheeks and lips had swelled up with his eyes. After wringing my hands about it for about an hour, Chris and I finally decided to take him to the ER for a visit to see what could be done. Once there, he got some chest x-rays, a breathing treatment, some steroids, and we were sent home with a diagnosis of bronchitis and maybe allergies/maybe bacterial infection of the eyes. We've got some meds for him to treat the whole mess and we'll see how it goes. Today he's breathing much better, but still sporting the red, puffy eyes and face. So, not as much improvement as I was hoping, but at least he's not wheezing like ... a ...... wheezy person?
Apparently Declan's not out much late at night because the whole ride there and back was filled with awed comments about how dark it was and how pretty the night was and how much he loved the moon and tomorrow night can we please get on a rocket and go to the moon? Also, the woman who gave Dex the breathing treatment, after attempting to get him to breathe slowly and follow directions and stop giggling through it all, told me I had my hands full. And I was all, "Uh, doy." And then I thought maybe I'd heard that somewhere before.
School will be out officially for Logan on Friday (and not a moment too soon...Declan's ghost friend Gon has been hanging around a lot lately). He had his Kindergarten graduation last week, in which the class performed "Click Clack Moo" and Logan was a narrator and a dog. He did a fabulous job, thankyouverymuch. We got a really sweet photo of Declan giving Logan and Logan's best friend Caleah the double thumbs up for graduating from Kindergarten. (Incidentally, I've been given the "double thumbs up badge" from Declan several times recently for being so nice to him. I asked him once if I was ever not nice to him, and he informed me that in fact, it happens, when I do things like make him go to bed.) I think the picture is awesome for a lot of reasons, but mostly because Logan has his best brother and his best girl right there together.
On a totally random note, I found a picture in an unrelated folder on my computer and sighed with that motherly nostalgia that makes us feel like time is moving too fast. Logan in binky heaven. Stars blanket. Little hands, little legs, little feet.
Apparently Declan's not out much late at night because the whole ride there and back was filled with awed comments about how dark it was and how pretty the night was and how much he loved the moon and tomorrow night can we please get on a rocket and go to the moon? Also, the woman who gave Dex the breathing treatment, after attempting to get him to breathe slowly and follow directions and stop giggling through it all, told me I had my hands full. And I was all, "Uh, doy." And then I thought maybe I'd heard that somewhere before.
School will be out officially for Logan on Friday (and not a moment too soon...Declan's ghost friend Gon has been hanging around a lot lately). He had his Kindergarten graduation last week, in which the class performed "Click Clack Moo" and Logan was a narrator and a dog. He did a fabulous job, thankyouverymuch. We got a really sweet photo of Declan giving Logan and Logan's best friend Caleah the double thumbs up for graduating from Kindergarten. (Incidentally, I've been given the "double thumbs up badge" from Declan several times recently for being so nice to him. I asked him once if I was ever not nice to him, and he informed me that in fact, it happens, when I do things like make him go to bed.) I think the picture is awesome for a lot of reasons, but mostly because Logan has his best brother and his best girl right there together.
On a totally random note, I found a picture in an unrelated folder on my computer and sighed with that motherly nostalgia that makes us feel like time is moving too fast. Logan in binky heaven. Stars blanket. Little hands, little legs, little feet.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Gross
We recently purchased this book for Logan since he pretty much finds gross things funny at any time of day. This morning at the breakfast table, he graced us with this joke:
Why did the kid bring a toilet to the party?
Because he was a party pooper.
Cue delighted, uproarious laughter from both boys.
The other side to the book is things that gross Logan out enough to cause him deep concern for his life. For example, he was reading it last night in bed and after a short while he came to find me, with a terrified look on his face. He asked me to tell him this wasn't true and pointed to a little info box on one of the pages that talked about how mosquitos suck your blood when they bite. I told him it was true and the terror deepened as he discovered that mosquitos do, in fact, reside in this area of the country. I asked him what about it specifically was so scary for him - was he afraid it would hurt, or did he think they'd drink too much blood, or was it just the blood itself that was bothering him? He looked at the floor and said he was scared that they'd bite him and eat so much blood from him that he'd become a vampire. We talked about how 1) vampires don't exist, 2) a mosquito can't possibly drink that much of a person's blood, and 3) vampires really don't exist ("You already said that!" "I know! It's that important!") and a few minutes later he went back to bed feeling better.
So, to sum up: Cheers to gross jokes that make little boys laugh. Jeers to little boys worrying their very lives will be sucked from them until they become unholy minions of the night. [Does anyone read TV Guide anymore?]
Why did the kid bring a toilet to the party?
Because he was a party pooper.
Cue delighted, uproarious laughter from both boys.
The other side to the book is things that gross Logan out enough to cause him deep concern for his life. For example, he was reading it last night in bed and after a short while he came to find me, with a terrified look on his face. He asked me to tell him this wasn't true and pointed to a little info box on one of the pages that talked about how mosquitos suck your blood when they bite. I told him it was true and the terror deepened as he discovered that mosquitos do, in fact, reside in this area of the country. I asked him what about it specifically was so scary for him - was he afraid it would hurt, or did he think they'd drink too much blood, or was it just the blood itself that was bothering him? He looked at the floor and said he was scared that they'd bite him and eat so much blood from him that he'd become a vampire. We talked about how 1) vampires don't exist, 2) a mosquito can't possibly drink that much of a person's blood, and 3) vampires really don't exist ("You already said that!" "I know! It's that important!") and a few minutes later he went back to bed feeling better.
So, to sum up: Cheers to gross jokes that make little boys laugh. Jeers to little boys worrying their very lives will be sucked from them until they become unholy minions of the night. [Does anyone read TV Guide anymore?]
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Five!
Go from this:
to this:
in just 5 short years! (He didn't want to do any "smiley" pictures until dinnertime. Incidentally, I feel like this gives me a pretty good glimpse at what the teen Dex will look like.)
About Declan:
He is my mini-me, for better or worse. I love this kid more than I could possibly put into words. There are so many things that make him him, and all of them work together to build this fabulously fabulous boy that I'm usually thrilled to be mother to.
Declan is rarely found without a song. He makes music all.day.long. We were out in the yard a few days ago on a gorgeous spring day, enjoying the sunshine and freshly-mowed-by-Grandpa-Tiny grass and Declan goes, "Did you know it's such a beautiful day I feel a song coming on?" And then he ran and sang a song about beautiful days. Rides in the car and sitting at the dinner table are two of our guaranteed spots to get a performance from Declan. Even if he's not vocalizing, he's bopping his head along to whatever music his mind is creating. When he was a baby, I loved standing outside his door after he was put to bed to listen to him humming himself to sleep.
Dex is still our little lightswitch - ready to flip between his two moods, happy and angry, at any instant. Lucky for us, he's usually in the happy position. He's a snuggler and freely gives hugs all day long. Often he'll walk up to me for no other reason than to tell me he loves me and give me a hug. He'll give you anything he has if you ask nicely for it, or if he thinks you might benefit from it more than he would. Many times he's offered his precious teddy bear pillow, stuffed animals, and blue blanket to the rest of the family at night for various reasons. He'll share the last bites of his treats with Logan just because he's his brother and he loves him.
The other side of the switch is as far in the other extreme as his happy is. That boy can scowl like nobody's business. While he may be willing to give you anything if you ask nicely, if you try and take something from him before he's ready, he will fight to the death for it. He's still under the impression that whining will get him what he wants sometimes, and he will let you have it full force if he thinks there's any chance of you giving in. He's got the emotional blackmail thing down pat and will threaten to never love you or hug you or kiss you again if you make him angry and try to punish him.
When Dex grows up, he's going to be a strong beast of a man. The days of physical matches between the boys haven't really started, but Declan's demonstrated here and there that he can stand his ground against his older brother. When he was about 2 and Logan was 3 1/2 or 4, the boys were wrestling on the living room floor. They got tired and fell into a heap of giggles, Logan settling on Declan's back. After a moment, Declan decided he was ready to stand up...so he did, showing no sign of effort and toppling Logan onto the floor in the process.
As is the case with most mothers I know, I worry that I'll be able to be the mom he needs as he grows up. I hope I can help him learn to temper his temper and get control over the cutting words he uses when he's angry. I hope I can teach him to enjoy his life and be proud and confident in who he is. I hope some day I'll be able to help him understand how lucky I feel to be the one he calls Mom.
Declan's my baby. My fierce, strong, loving, passionate, stubborn baby. He's the fire to Logan's ice - there's a reason he's been symbolized as a dragon in my world.
Happy birthday, buddy. =)
to this:
in just 5 short years! (He didn't want to do any "smiley" pictures until dinnertime. Incidentally, I feel like this gives me a pretty good glimpse at what the teen Dex will look like.)
About Declan:
He is my mini-me, for better or worse. I love this kid more than I could possibly put into words. There are so many things that make him him, and all of them work together to build this fabulously fabulous boy that I'm usually thrilled to be mother to.
Declan is rarely found without a song. He makes music all.day.long. We were out in the yard a few days ago on a gorgeous spring day, enjoying the sunshine and freshly-mowed-by-Grandpa-Tiny grass and Declan goes, "Did you know it's such a beautiful day I feel a song coming on?" And then he ran and sang a song about beautiful days. Rides in the car and sitting at the dinner table are two of our guaranteed spots to get a performance from Declan. Even if he's not vocalizing, he's bopping his head along to whatever music his mind is creating. When he was a baby, I loved standing outside his door after he was put to bed to listen to him humming himself to sleep.
Dex is still our little lightswitch - ready to flip between his two moods, happy and angry, at any instant. Lucky for us, he's usually in the happy position. He's a snuggler and freely gives hugs all day long. Often he'll walk up to me for no other reason than to tell me he loves me and give me a hug. He'll give you anything he has if you ask nicely for it, or if he thinks you might benefit from it more than he would. Many times he's offered his precious teddy bear pillow, stuffed animals, and blue blanket to the rest of the family at night for various reasons. He'll share the last bites of his treats with Logan just because he's his brother and he loves him.
The other side of the switch is as far in the other extreme as his happy is. That boy can scowl like nobody's business. While he may be willing to give you anything if you ask nicely, if you try and take something from him before he's ready, he will fight to the death for it. He's still under the impression that whining will get him what he wants sometimes, and he will let you have it full force if he thinks there's any chance of you giving in. He's got the emotional blackmail thing down pat and will threaten to never love you or hug you or kiss you again if you make him angry and try to punish him.
When Dex grows up, he's going to be a strong beast of a man. The days of physical matches between the boys haven't really started, but Declan's demonstrated here and there that he can stand his ground against his older brother. When he was about 2 and Logan was 3 1/2 or 4, the boys were wrestling on the living room floor. They got tired and fell into a heap of giggles, Logan settling on Declan's back. After a moment, Declan decided he was ready to stand up...so he did, showing no sign of effort and toppling Logan onto the floor in the process.
As is the case with most mothers I know, I worry that I'll be able to be the mom he needs as he grows up. I hope I can help him learn to temper his temper and get control over the cutting words he uses when he's angry. I hope I can teach him to enjoy his life and be proud and confident in who he is. I hope some day I'll be able to help him understand how lucky I feel to be the one he calls Mom.
Declan's my baby. My fierce, strong, loving, passionate, stubborn baby. He's the fire to Logan's ice - there's a reason he's been symbolized as a dragon in my world.
Happy birthday, buddy. =)
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