Just another beautiful day poolside
I love the summer. As a stay at home mom, one of the luxuries I afford my little ones is time at the pool. Every summer since CT was little, we would purchase a pool pass and every nice day we would pack-up ourselves and our lunches and spend the morning frolicking in the pool.
Today, with the sun shining and a high of 80 degrees, was going to be no different. Everyone packed-up, got their suits and sun screen on, grabbed what they wanted to play with and we headed off to the pool.
Once everyone and everything spilled out of the van, we put KP in the stroller, walked into the recreation center, admitted ourselves with our pool passes, took potty breaks, walked through the bathroom and then out past the concession stand and finally to the pool. All the while CT was asking for his goggles. We will get them once we get situated, I kept saying.
The towels got put on the sun chairs, the swim diaper got pulled on, the sandals came off and then I started looking for the goggles. I suddenly remembered that CT had them in the car and they were not in the bag at all, like I had thought. I tried to gently break the news to CT that the goggles were still in the car. He simply said, well let’s go get them, and my response to that was, no.
The thought of packing everyone up to simply go back to the car to get goggles is not easy, nor is it worth it, or so I thought.
So, I stood my ground with my decision. And, the shit hit the fan; trembling lip turning into a flood of tears, screaming at the top of his voice, kicking me-the stroller-the water, hitting the sun chair-the ground-his leg, and then yelling some more. It was a full-blown tantrum. I remained calm and tried to tell him that this one time he would be ok without his goggles and then equally as calmly told him, that if he didn’t stop this behavior right now we would leave. As the crowd of women and children looked on at the car accident that was taking place right before their eyes, I pulled the plug on the pool.
I manhandled my 50 pound, very strong, very lanky son into the seat of the stroller and buckled the WAY TOO SMALL buckles around him, just to gain some control. All the while he continued to flail, kick and scream, flail, kick and scream, and then flailed, kicked and screamed some more.
Then I had the opportunity to gather up little soaking wet PJ, who kept running away from me deeper and deeper into the water, wanting so badly to stay and play. Please keep in mind, I am doing this all one handed, because the littlest one is hanging onto me for dear life wondering what the *&$# is going on.
This is just not the way I wanted my pre-race day to go.
Now, on the other hand, I could take this white hot rage and unleash it tomorrow! Yeah, now that’s a good idea.
Filed under CT | Comment (0)I’m crabby
The doctor says I have Adenoid Virus. She says it lasts about a week and that I will continue to have my 103 degree fever for three or so days, a bad cough, sore throat, icky red and gummy eyes, runny nose and that I won’t eat real well.
Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Filed under CT | Comment (0)How young is too young?
CT is smitten with Star Wars. Not only is he constantly talking about it, he is coloring pictures about it, and walking around the house trying to sound like Darth Vader. He has never seen Star Wars, however, he seems to know more than I do and I have seen most of them.
One kid in his preschool class has seen the first two movies, has talked it all up with his homies at school and the questions haven’t stopped for days.
Who is Darth Vader?
Why is he bad?
What does that mask do?
Are Anakin and Luke the same person?
Who are the robots and what do they do?
Does Yoda really want to die to give Luke more power?
What kind of guns do the Storm Troupers have?
And now he really wants to see the movie. Granted, he doesn’t know which movie, 1.2.3.4.5 or 6, but he knows he wants to see it. Is it too early for him to see the first Star Wars? My initial reaction is yes. I wasn’t swooning over Hans Solo when I was five. I was doing it a seven and then had to wait waaaaaay too many years to see if he got unfrozen and was still alive in the next movie. There is a lot of shooting. It has an adult plot line, etc, etc, etc…
But, is it any worse for my five year old son to see than The Incredibles, Shrek or Shark Tales (ok we haven’t seen Shark Tales, but you get my drift don’t you?)?
Filed under CT | Comment (0)Picture of the day
O.K., it was taken a couple weeks back, but I still like it.
Rip my heart out already
CT had his 5 year old check-up with his pediatrician today. We have been talking about this day for weeks. He has a great amount of anxiety associated with shots and will not even watch his siblings get their shots. He will excuse himself from the examination room and wait outside the door until it is all over. The last time he got a shot, I had to physically restrain him. I wrapped all four of my appendages around his little thrashing body, all the while he was screaming hysterically. It was great.
This year we have read books about shots, drawn pictures of how he feels and talked and talked and talked some more about shots: why we need them, how they work and that they may hurt but only a little bit and that they are really necessary. I even pulled the, “They won’t let you go to Kindergarten” card. Umm, that didn’t work either.
This morning he woke up with a headache, wouldn’t eat breakfast, told PJ & KP that he wasn’t going to get a shot and then ran away from me and hid when I told him it was time to go.
We got out the door. We went through all the hoops of the 5 year old check-up, discussed at great length with the pediatrician why he was nervous. She too tried to reassure him. He had all sorts of wonderful ideas of how to get out of getting the shots, but she wasn’t biting on any of them.
The nurse came in, fully apprised of the terror he was feeling, and got the job done. One finger poke and three shots later, it was all over. She even told him he was so brave he could have three suckers on his way out the door…and then he smiled.
5 years old
Dear CT,
You have brought us more joy in the past five years than you will ever know. You teach and taunt and torment your sister, and she will be better because of it. You are tender and loving with your baby brother beyond your years. You forge a path for us as parents and allow us to make mistakes and learn from them. You, my boy, are a gift. You have a glimmer in your eye that is mischievous and wonderful. You have a laugh that fills the room with joy. You have an understanding of things that you should not yet have. You have empathy. You have kindness. You have humor. You have energy and spirit. You will go far and you will do great things and I am so happy to be able to witness it all.
Happy 5th Birthday, I love you so.
Mom
Too much Today Show in the morning
After drawing this picture, CT ran around the
kitchen, picture flailing overhead, yelling,
“BOMBS…BOMBS…BULLETS…BULLETS”. I threw
him a disapproving glare. He proceeded running and yelling,
“I MEAN SNOW…SNOW…LOTS OF SNOW.”