Last of the last

I love the end of things, just about as much as I love the beginning of new things. I love to eek out every single solitary thing I can, because you just know it won’t be the same tomorrow.

Today is the last day CT will be 5. Today is also the last day of the photo project I have been doing with him. I decided when he turned 5 that I would take a picture of him everyday during his 5th year of life, and today is it.

The project has been great. I wish I had it together enough to have it all downloaded onto flickr and uploaded to my site, so you all could see the amazing transformations that have taken place in just one year of life. He has changed so much.

The photos are of everything and nothing, of everyday tasks and big mile-stones, some are blurry and some are perfect. It is a pictorial year in the life.

My hope is that he can look back on it and remember it all.

1st crush?

As CT and I walked across the Community Center parking lot on our way to a classmate’s birthday party, we had this conversation.

Mom, I hope Lily is there.

Is she nice?

And, as we walked through the door, my question was totally ignored. There she was. Miss lovely Lily, standing right in the entrance way, she took even my breath away, a most delicate child of Asian mix, all wrapped-up in a beautiful yellow butterfly print, Chinese style, fur-trimmed dress.

And there CT stood, holding onto my leg and hiding.

Like I said I’m not ready for this and either is he. But it’s good to know he has good taste in the ladies.

Frozen waffle love

After I set a plate full of waffles drenched in syrup in front of CT this morning, he looked up at me and said, “Mom, I love you infinity, up to the moon and back!”

For that, he can have frozen waffles anyday.

I will teach them to lie if they keep talking to me this way

As the kids and I were driving to playgroup this morning, CT looked at my reflection in the rearview mirror and said, “Mom, you look like General Grievous.”

Wondering, I asked, “Is that a complement?”

“Aaaaahh, NO!”

Log jam

Oh bloody hell

Yesterday morning I awoke to CT screeching at the top of his lungs, “maaaamaaaaaa, maaaamaaaaa, I’m bleeeediiiinnggggg!” I shot up and scuttled into the bathroom. He had a bloody nose. And this bloody nose was a good one. He had made a blood trail that started from the pool of blood left behind in his bed, to the drops of blood going down the stairs, and then the spattered blood all over the white bathroom tile and toilet bowl and all the blood still drip, drip, dripping into the toilet water and finally ending the trail with the brownish-scarlet blood that was starting to dry all over his face, hands, right big toe and pajamas.

As I sit here recounting all the blood, I can’t believe I didn’t even once think about getting my camera.

And you think who needs what?

I have been working as a stay at home single parent this week. Adam has been on a business trip to Europe. I know, it’s crazy, who on earth would leave me to my own devices with three kids for an entire week?

Anyway, the kids are very excited to have daddy come home tonight. And since he will be getting in late, I told them they would see him first thing in the morning. I also told them that I would be running in the morning, as I usually do on Saturday mornings. So dad will be in charge until I get home around breakfast time.

CT looked at me and said, “Mom, I really think you should stay home, daddy is going to need to rest, he’s had a very long trip.”

Strategies for Dealing with Challenging Behaviors

Last week I attended a parenting class, see title above. As I tried to leave the house, I was attacked by three little people pulling on me, tears in their eyes, telling me not to leave and saying things like: why do you have to go, stay with us, you always leave, it’s not fair, I’m mad.

I looked at all of them, pulled the smallest one off of me, sat him on the floor and calmly told them that I was going to a class and that the class was going to make me a better mommy.

The next morning, as we were awaiting our “fun buddies” or playdates to arrive, CT said, “that class did teach you to be a better mom?” “How so?” I said. “You’re not doing anything mean.”

I told him not to worry and that the beatings would commence shortly.

Daddy dun dat bully in

There’s a bully on the bus who seems to pick on all the Kindergarteners. I found this out through another mother, who asked if CT had said anything to me. That would be NO, and obviously the next thing I will be teaching him…TELL MOMMY EVERTHING! Anyway, that’s for another time.

I have done some interrogating of my son and also made a few calls to the school to rectify this situation. You see, the school has a policy of no “below the line” behavior and we defiantly have some of that going on.

Last night, while trick-or-treating, CT spotted the bully dressed in Power Ranger regalia. Then, he ran into him again at our neighborhood Halloween bon fire. He pointed him out to Adam. Adam determined that it was an inopportune time to discuss matters with this kid, seeing everyone was having so much fun that night.

As Adam was talking with the neighbors, he spotted the bully up in the tree house repeatedly punching Darth Vader in the chest. Adam flew up the tree house ladder, grabbed the kid by the arm, and read him the riot act. He made it abundantly clear that he’s not allowed to bully our kid or anyone else’s kid on the bus, in the neighborhood or anywhere else for that matter. And if he heard that he had, well…we now know who his mother is.

Boooo

CT is all about the prank these days and thought it would be
so fun to where these to his dental visit.