Practice

Well,

Baseball season has begun. First practice was on Thursday and it was a bit of a dud -- very cold, wet and Jason and Tom were both tired. Both of them were out-of-sorts when they got home. Xander, on the other hand, was very clear. He watched for a bit. Wanted to play desperatedly then, when it became clear that he was not going to be able to, he announced that he wanted to go home and get hot chocolate. I agreed and was starting to head to the car with him when I was stopped by one of the parents who wanted to give me some paperwork. I told Xander 'Wait a moment, baby, I'll be right there.' This, however, was not to be. I finished talking with the parent, looked around and yelled 'TOM! WHERE IS XANDER?' 'How should I know,' he yelled back, 'I'm not watching him!' We both looked around and then spotted him -- he was at the entrance to the parking lot, walking along with a towel over his head and obviously talking as he walked. We both belted over there -- Tom made it first -- and I took Xander home. He ate a balony sandwich, drank his hot chocolate, told me that I needed to have a baloney sandwich and hot chocolate ready for Jason when HE got home, then announced that he wanted his bath...

Saturday's practice went better -- of course, it was at 11am and it wasn't raining. I don't entirely know how it went, to be honest. Within the first few moments of arriving, Xander announced that he had to use the potty and since we couldn't see one anywhere on the field, I carted him back to the car, loaded him in and took him to the library. As we were entering the library, he said, very solemnly, 'Don't worry, mommy. We will go back to Baseball. I promise. I just need to use the potty.' And he did and we did and that might not have been the best choice. Once there, Xander wanted to play too -- with his daddy and his bahbah. He wanted to bat and when denied that option, wailed at the top of his lungs 'I want to be BIG TOO!' Poor tyke....

Back again

Hullo there

thought of a few funny incidents that I thought I would record -- while I remember them! The first involves Xander. He is at that awkward age between needing a nap and not wanting one. Well, we have a routine: I take him into the bedroom, wrap him up in his Nemo Blanket and rock him in the rocking chair. Sometimes he will DEMAND to be put in his big boy bed, sometimes he will simply drape his head on my shoulder and beam at me saying, 'I'm a baby.' I say 'Well, baby so and so (he usually has a specific character in mind), it is time for you to nap. Close your eyes and be quiet now.' He will close his eyes for about half a second and then they will pop open. I will say 'Close your eyes or Mommy will sing.' This, it turns out, is an effective threat. "NOOOOO... Don't sing Mommy!' and he will screw his eyes tightly shut. After a moment, he will crack one eye and say 'Can I sleep with one eye open?' I respond 'Only if I can sing with half my mouth.' He grins at that one and closes both eyes. The next moment he will pop up and say 'I need a drink of water!' So he gets his drink. Then he lies down... and the next time he makes a move, I start to sing. That stops him. He lies back down... and sleeps.

I am not sure but that sleep has become a game to that one. At night, like clockwork, once all the books are done (and he is finally convinced that there are not going to be anymore!), and the lights are off, he will pop up and yell 'TOM TOM I NEED TO PEE!' (or poop). His father will come carry him off to the restroom. Then he returns. A moment of quiet then "I NEED A DRINK!' (so do I, at this point!) Jason just giggles. A drink is provided. Then 'TOM TOM I NEED TO GO TO THE POTTY!' He usually 'goes to the potty' at least three times before finally settling. Each time, his father's patience is a little bit thinner. Oh well... I don't remember anything like this with Jason. Of course, Jason wasn't self potty trained at two either!

I am including a couple of pictures of Jason's latest legos creations here. He has a blast building them and, now that Tom has his new camera, his father appears to be having a good time photographing them. Indeed, Jason has conceived the desire to create a photographic 'catalogue' of his creations. I suggested that a good companion volume would be a building guide... we will see.

So tonight is the first practice. Should be interesting since the forecast is for rain, rain and more rain -- and colder temperatures! Tom is going to try to 'get off early' -- leaving at 2 pm (normally he is supposed to leave at 2:30.) and will make a judgement call about the practice around 4 pm. I remember last year, though. There was one day in particular -- the rain was coming down in sheets, the skies, what one could see of them, were almost black so the coach called off practice and then, at 5 pm, sunshine. Of course, the fields would've been a muddy mess but after all, isn't childhood at least partly about mud?

Never say 'can't'

I firmly believe that one should not ever say that things 'can't get any worse.' Everytime I even think such a thing, the universe disabuses me of the notion. Witness this past weekend: Here I thought things were awful, Xander was really sick (Anytime one of my children climbs up into my lap and begs to go to sleep, you KNOW something is wrong!), and we were all feeling the effects. Then Thursday night, at midnight, I got up to soothe him and when I returned to my bedroom, I found myself sick with the same bug... vomiting, the runs, fever. I felt like death. My back and legs felt like someone had been beating them with a baseball bat (or how I would imagine they would feel if someone did!). The only position that allowed me to retain some measure of sanity was flat on my back. Tom had gone to work that morning but after a desperate call by me, he came home around 10. Xander, wiped out from a difficult night which had culminated with him waking fully at 3 am (because mommy was in the bathroom and couldn't soothe him!), had fallen asleep at 8 am and slept until 11. When he woke, Tom took the boys and went to see his folks, leaving me to sleep. Sweet man. I did, finally. When I woke it was because the pain in my back was unbearable... or at least, unsleepable! But the good news was that the worst of my stomach pain seemed to have passed. By Sunday, I was much better and today I am almost human. Xander has also recovered well, though he has a bit of a snuffle -- but that, I suspect, is allergies. Tom has not succumbed to the illness. Knock wood he doesn't. Jason also seems to be holding his own. I am hoping he also maintains his health.

The good news is that the Legos Group is going to start its once monthly meetings tomorrow. They will be meeting at 11 am in Renton. The group seems to consist mainly of 5 -11 year olds. The man who is hosting it is a legos fan himself and has two sons. It is going to be an informal group where kids come and build legos together for three hours. It will be a push to make it since the boys have swimming TTH at 9:30... but I am going to try. It sounds like a wonderful chance for Jason to make friends of a like mind. The gentleman running it says he will have a room for the littler ones with mega blocks etc. And since it sounds like there will be folks with littler ones there, Xander should do well also. We will see. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

On a happier note, Xander has developed a new phrase. Whenever his mother answers one of his million questions with 'I don't know', Xander responds with 'Then we will just have to look it up!' Well trained child, don'tcha think? And Jason, ah Jason. He was reading to us in the car yesterday... well, sort of. He would read the words he knew then spell the ones he didn't. We would tell him what those were and he would go on. The amazing thing about helping someone learn to read is the reminder that there are sooooo many words in the English language for which phonics don't work... like Tom's 'hour' (pronounced 'whore' by himself). So truly, reading is a matter of both phonics and memorization. The good news is that Jason is a book hound. He wants to learn to read, though he does love being read to as well.

And oh, but he is sweet. The other day I left at the breakfast table a small gift by way of thanking him for being so helpful during his brother's illness. All on his own, he sat down and wrote out a 'Thank you' note to his father and myself. I was so impressed. Even I am not that prompt. Then, when I was feeling soooo crummy, he drew me a beautiful picture of a bird (He has become quite the bird watcher. We have even started a birding list of him!), wrapped it all by himself ("I taped it up myself, mommy!' he said proudly, as I struggled through layers and layers of scotch tape...) and brought it to me. He is such a darling. Not that he doesn't have his moments. He gets grouchy and tired and frustrated just like everyone else. His biggest problem is that fact that he is generally so sweet and so reasonable that people have come to expect it. They forget that he is just five, just learning the ways of the world, just figuring out how to handle all the curves that life throws him. He handles many of them with more grace than most adults, actually.

Xander, on the other hand, is distinctively two. If Jason never read the developemental manuals, Xander wrote them. He is SOOOOO two. He is the lord of his universe and quite indignant when folks are foolish enough to not recognize their place. He is contrary in the extreme. Tell him to do the opposite of what you want, and he will do it. His current favorite phrase is 'You are TOOO LITTLE!' and he uses it to anyone who displeases him, especially his brother who takes it very much to heart. He wants to 'do it myself' except when he decides that he wants to be a 'little bitty baby.' Of course, Xander's version of a 'little bitty baby' is still rather more self willed than any baby I ever met...

Ah, both boys are awake. Xander wants more to eat, Jason wants to build legos. I am off to the circus. Have a good day

childhood illnesses

Well, sigh, one of the things that one never thinks about when one has children/plans to have children, is the excitement of childhood illness. This time round it is Xander who is having a hard time.

Started on Sunday -- Donna had arrived home from a difficult trip and had suggested that they take us out to their favorite chinese restaurant as a way of celebrating Tom's birthday -- she'd missed it because she was out of town. We agreed and headed over to Issaquah to meet them around 4. Everything seemed to be fine but once we were in the restaurant and the food had been ordered/arrived, Xander began to fuss. He was 'done'. He wanted to 'go home.' Mommy didn't listen. What happened next was probably inevitable: Xander threw up. He'd only really had water, had refused food, but it was a LOT of water. All over himself, all over my leg, all over the floor. I excused us and hurried to the car. There I had a change of clothes for Xander -- though not for me. Tom followed with Jason and we headed home. That night and the next were a nightmare. Xander would beg for water (or Gatorade if that were all that was available) I would given him some and he would throw it up. I must've changed three beds and used up all the towels in the process. We shall have to get rid of the couch and the cushions on it as they are thoroughly drenched and unrecoverable. Sigh. At any rate, Tom stayed home Monday so that he could be with Jason while I took Xander to the doctor. Our appointment was at 8:40 am, we got home finally at noon. The doctor was concerned that the little ball Xander may have swallowed might be the culprit and ordered first an Xray of his throat and then a Barium swallow. Xander was amazing -- charming all who met him with long discussions of whatever was on his mind. He drank the Barium as directed, at least twelve swallows of it and his only comment was to ask if he could 'get down now' off of the table that they'd lifted him up on. The good news was that there was no sign of obstruction. The bad thing was that he hadn't had a bowel movement in days and so their next concern was bowel obstruction. All of Tuesday we watched, I made an appointment to take him BACK to the doctor's office for 2:40 -- and at 1:45 he finally pooped. What a relief. But that was not the end. Today, poor little tyke has diarreah -- which started while we were at the grocery where I didn't have a change for him -- and then, when he woke, he threw up all over himself and over the couch. I washed him up and let him sit in the bath with his brother in attendance while I went out to clean the floor and couch. Then while he was in the tub, he had another bout of diarreah... in the tub. So I got him out and on the toilet while I cleaned the tub. Then I cleaned him, put him back in the tub and cleaned up the floor.

Meanwhile, it looks like we will need to replace (1) the dishwasher and (2)the tape deck as well as the couch. Sigh. Such fun, don't you think?

Friday

Here is a picture of Jason with the first loaf of bread he ever made. We have to make more but recent events have rather pushed it to the back of the list. The next batch we make will be sourdough -- and we will be using fresh oil! The first batch was made using oil that was a bit too old... sigh.

Took the boys to Gene Coulon Park yesterday afternoon, despite Xander's nasty cough. We met there daddy there and they had a blast -- Xander especially, I suspect. You see, when we arrived there was a huge flock of coots and mallards on the grass -- I would guess at least 60 birds total. Xander couldn't resist and with a 'ROWR' he charged into the flock. They parted before him, but no one flew. The coots went to one side, the mallards to the other. It wasn't until Jason joined him that the coots decided to head for the water. An odd sight that was too! Coots are just not meant to walk on land. Their bodies are very round and their flippered feet are placed awkwardly for walking, out to the sides. The result is that, when Coots run, which they do only under duress, they look rather like sailors -- they roll from side to side. It took the boys some time to herd all the coots back into the water. There must've been something especially tasty in the grass because neither the coots nor the ducks seemed particularly inclined to leave. But the boys had fun. After the park, we went to Frys -- where Jason got a new PC game and Tom a new Gamecube controller. Then it was off to Royal Orchid Thai. That was a huge success. Both boys gobbled spring rolls -- Xander especially liked the sauce -- then they ate up all the Phud Thai. They finished off their meal with Coconut ice cream. That was a relief as earlier Xander had been insisting that he would not eat anything but MacDonalds. I am really rather sick of MacDonalds...

Hullo,
Followed up on the Home Schooling situation in Germany. Interesting. It appears that there was a law passed in 1938 that required schooling. (For the translated text, follow this link:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.verfassungen.de/de/de33-45/schulpflicht38.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2BReichsschulpflichtgesetz)%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2003-44,GGLD:en ) 1938, if you remember, was the year of Krystalnacht. It was also the year that the Nazis ordered the expulsion of all Jews from non-jewish parochial schools. The logic behind the law was simple -- education creates society. Specific groups were exempted -- children physically or mentally incapable of attendence but it appears that there was a concerted effort going on to control thinking. At any rate, the law was never removed and is still in force in Germany. There have been a number of arrests in Germany as a result of the law recently because Christian parents who object to the content of what is being taught have been removing their children and schooling them at home, in many cases using curriculum NOT approved by the German state. One particular case was taken before the EU law courts who then upheld the German case. The German case, to whit, was that education created a homogenized, cohesive culture and that homeschooling -- particularly religious homeschooling -- created micro cultures that are not compatible with existing German culture. The more telling reason for the rejection of the parents' suit was, I suspect, the discussion of the child's interaction with other children. According to the text of the case (you can find the case online), the state was concerned that the child was not being allowed to interact with other children, thereby losing out on the necessarily socialization. The parents were quite blunt. They did not WANT their child socializing with its peers. That then was, I suspect, the key. The German state and the EU saw the event as an attempt at social isolationism. This does not, however, make the situation any the less disturbing. People are being arrested and imprisioned, their children are being removed from their care, all as a result of a law passed under a dangerous government. The major concern for folks in the US is that one of the EU principals who voted to support the German position is now here in the US holding a government advisory position on public education....

Home Schooling Challenges

Just a reminder how precious freedom really is. Read the following article on how people are being treated as regards educating their children. It is remarkably frightening, though I suppose that, given the country and its history, not surprising!

http://www.hslda.org/elert/archive/2007/02/20070205135755.asp

The day after the day after Tom's birthday

5:23 am
Tried writing yesterday but Jason woke early. We will see how things go today. Xander's cough is really awful -- AGAIN. He woke last night around 10:30 last night, coughing and choking -- wanted to go into the living room, wanted to 'BE AWAKE'. Poor tyke was in tears. So I gave him water, took him to the potty and cuddled him. Finally got back to my own bed about midnight. So far both boys are still asleep. We will see how long that lasts.

Tom's birthday was fairly successful. I spent the entire day cooking Lasagna Carnavale and birthday cake. Tom liked the Lasagna, the boys happily picked it apart, eating pasta noodles and meatballs/sausage. (Jason, noticing the ricotta, asked me dubiously 'What is that white stuff?' I told him that it was cheese. He looked at it very doubtfully and decided 'I don't eat white stuff.' Okay...) Then came the cake. I had made a German Chocolate Cake because that was what Tom requested. Jason had lobbied for Chocolate Nemesis (a cake that consists of chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar...) but after reading the recipe I voted him down. Told him we'd make it sometime when we had a large crowd of people. Of course, when Tom saw his bday cake, he might have wondered... it was, in Jason's words, HUGE. It was so big that we cut a small piece and divided it in half for the boys to share... and they didn't argue! Of course, there was more to the party than just the eating. At Jason's insistence, we had a pirate themed party -- a pirate pinata, pirate hats and eye patches, pirate music and paper plates. Tom does well as a pirate and Xander definately has the 'Yo ho ho' song down. Jason gave Tom a legos Yoda pen 'because Daddy is Old and Wise.' (Choke!) and Xander gave him some shortbread cookies. Mommy gave him a Lance Armstrong Video and a remote sensing cooking thermometer. The boys wanted him to test the latter item immediately, of course! Problem is, of course, that Tom actually got home on time for his birthday and I am afraid that may have set up expectations. The boys do love having their father home -- he plays with them like he was a big kid...

Anyway, let me see... what stories do I have from the battlefront? Well, besides the fact that we all have a nasty bug, there was the exciting moment on Saturday evening last. Xander may or may not have swallowed a small rubber ball (foot) from one of Jason's toys. I was cooking dinner when he began to cry hysterically. I raced in and in between incoherent sobs, I learned that he'd been chewing on one of Jason's music makers. Initially neither Tom nor I could see anything missing. Then Jason came over, took a look and said, 'Oh, the little balls on the feet are gone.' Oh man... so we raced off to urgent care -- before dinner, both boys hungry and tired. Tom took Jason to MacDonald's for dinner while I waited with Xander. About an hour later we saw the doc. He took a look, couldn't see any sign of the ball (and commented that there was no point in doing an Xray because rubber wouldn't show up!) but he did see that Xander's tonsils were so swollen that they were almost touching and that the back of his throat 'looks like a waterfall.' Tonsilitis, possibly strep. So he gave us a prescription for Zythromax and sent us home. The pediatrician's office called the next day to tell us to watch for the ball(s) in Xander's stools. They are concerned about possible bowel obstruction. At any rate, we got Xander started on the Zythro and no sooner had we done that then I came down with a bitterly sore throat and headache. Xander completed his course of meds -- and then got my bug. Jason has it also, I suspect, in a more moderate form. Sigh. I really do not like winter. I will be glad when the warmer weather -- and the better health -- return! At any rate, we did survive the trip and though there has been no sign of the ball(s), there have also been no indications of bowel obstruction -- thank Heavens!

In other news: we continue the pirate unit. We have read books and books about the topic, Jason continues to receive (from Jeff BRewer, one of Tom's co-workers/friends) postcards from that scallywag of a gingerbread pirate, Bare Belly. Jason also received a video on the history of pirates and is in the process of creating a pirate board game. We have read book upon book of pirate stories -- though I have not really pursued the RLS books since I think they may be a bit too scary for a five year old. Captain Wavy Cape, the comic strip, is still coming together and is beginning to gather a readership. And Jason has a number of pirate ship images from which he plans to build a legos construction. We will work on that this weekend some... though his daddy won't be home on Saturday to help as he is helping a friend move:< Xander loves the pirate theme as well and sings sea shanties with the best of will. (mom is not allowed to sing, according to the young emperor).

I'm going to break here. My shoulders hurt. Will write more later.

Finally!

HA! Finally I am back up and running. Have been having difficulties logging on AND finding the time... the latter is not a surprise. Xander has another upper respiratory infection. There was one night where he coughed all night long, literally. The next day Jason and I took him to the doc and were told that he simply had a very bad cold. Sigh. So we are doing the usual -- saline, humidifiers, vapo-rub, lots of baths. (He likes the last bit). Beyond the fact that the coughing sounds horrible and disturbs Xander's sleep, he and Jason sleep in the same bed and so it disturbs Jason as well. But everyone is sleeping peacefully for the moment.

The hard part about not being more regular with this is, of course, that the boys change and do so much so fast that I can barely remember day to day what they last did... but let me think now...

(This is Xander as 'Princess Atta' from 'A Bug's life. Why he is wearing winnie the pooh slippers with his wings is beyond me -- but the child knows what he wants and, especially in the land of make believe, I generally do not argue with him!)

Well one of the more interesting events has been Jason's creation of a new 'comix' strip 'The Adventures OR Captain Wavy Cape' I suggested that we might do something of the sort, casually, the other night and Jason was terribly excited. Nothing would do but we did it immediately. So while Tom played 'Hopper' (the bad guy in A Bug's Life) and was bounced on by Xander, Jason and I worked on his strip. That first night he drew six frames. The next day, with a little coaching from Mom on how to use Watercolor pencils, he very carefully added color. I include an image of his work. I am very impressed by the fine motor control involved in his work -- not just the drawing but the colored pencil. Normally Jason just slathers color on, not worrying about where it lands. In this case, though, after I had explained the challenges of reproducing his image, he worked very carefully and intently and kept the color exactly where it needed to be.

I have only included one frame from the strip, space being what it is, but one of the curious features of these first six panels is that there is no story -- not that one could tell just by looking at the strip. Each panel introduces one character -- Black Eye, the bad guy and his dog, Pegleg Sam the Pirate Man, Right hand hook and left hand hook, the pirate twins, Both hands Hook (aka Captain Wavy Cape), and the Joker Pirate. Turns out, when I talked to Jason, that he has an entire and elaborate storyline all thought out. Now I just have to help him turn it into a series of images on paper. The nice thing about this 'accidental' project is that it offers a way to teach about art and story telling. I have been having him really look at and analyze the films he watches, as well as the picture books we read, asking him to tell me what the images themselves, without the words tell him -- and whether the images do the job effectively. And besides, it is definately fun!

Xander, of course, had to help... so I gave him paper and water colors and water. When I checked on him, he informed me with great seriousness that he was 'painting with water' and making 'booteeful' pictures. He had NO interest in the watercolors at all, thank you very much! Periodically the young lord would command me to 'tear that one out, Mommy, so it can dry!' I would do so, of course, and he would look at it with great pleasure and say 'Isn't that a booteeful picture, Mommy? I did that!' Hmmm. Even in his art work, he knows what he wants!

Jason continues to amaze me. The other morning, early, I had been skipping channels, trying to find a weather report. I came across a bio of Stephen Hawkings and was watching it when Jason woke up and came in. He sat down and watched with great fascination and then, when it was over, proceeded to ask some very good questions -- like how do they know that what they think is right? And what precisely do Physicists study and why do they argue? Then he asked about Black Holes and what they were and had anyone seen them and if they hadn't then how does anyone know that they exist? I figured I will turn that whole discussion over to TOM!!!!!