Ninja Exercises

Gideon:  Look at me, I doing ninja exercises!
Me:  Wow buddy
Gideon:  It weally hard
Me: Can I take a picture for daddy?
Gideon:  No, a video.

X Ray Vision

Gideon:  I have X-Ray vision mommy, I can see the baby inside your tummy
Me:  Oh, what does she look like?
Gideon (Peers closely at my baby bump):  A blueberry with long legs, like a spider!
Me (not at all creeped out by that image):  What's the baby's name?
Gideon:  Let me see again (stares at bump)  BlahBlahBeepBeep

The Tale of Three Ellies

When Ellie was lost in Portland a couple of years ago, Mac and I scrambled to find a replacement online as quickly as possible. I won't lie, it was like we looked into the future and saw a world where, having lost his friend, Gideon never slept again which meant we never slept again.  It was terrifying.  The problem was we found a couple of options ebay but couldn't quite remember what word was stitched on our Ellie's blanket body. Finally the only solution was to buy two Ellies, ($30 each) one with "hug" and the other with "love" and hope that one of them was right. When they arrived (express overnight) one was blue, and big, and like Ellie's older cousin instead of Ellie so I put it (her?) away in a drawer with the intention of giving her to another deserving child someday/blocking out the entire memory of this expensive ordeal.

Well today Gideon was looking for some undies in a drawer (yep, that drawer) and found the last of the Ellies. He was pretty indignant at first, like "Ummm excuse me, what is this Ellie doing in a shipping envelope in the back of my underwear drawer, MOM?  Can you explain THIS?" And I'm pretty sure he is going to start searching every drawer in the house for treasure (wouldn't you?).   But he also fell instantly in love, named her Blanket Ellie, and now they are all quite happy together. So much so he is carrying all three of them around and won't put them down. 

 He also requested we make a movie about the Ellies

Join the Battle For Net Neutrality

I don't usually get political or causey on this blog but I think this is important, certainly for this generation, but more so for the next.  I want my kids to enjoy the same amount of internet freedom (or more!) as I have.  So, if you, like me, want to stop ISPs from having the power to slow down and break your favorite websites (ie, control what you can and cannot access on the internet) in order to increase their profits join the Battle For The Net!

Naptime

Gideon has been struggling with naptime for at least a week now.  I can tell he is growing, both physically and mentally, and turning off his little brain in the middle of the day has proven extremely difficult.  I was sitting in his bed, talking to him about how popcorn is made (he was very excited about helping me make popcorn after rest time) and he asked:

Gideon:  How do you go to sleep?
Me:  Well, you have to lay down and close your eyes.
G:  That hard.
M: I know baby, sometimes when I close my eyes I like to imagine things in my brain, like spending the day with LaLaLoopsy or being a superhero and flying over my city.
G:  But I can't close my eyes, they too bouncy, see (closes and opens eyes rapidly).  They bounce. back. open. (said with great frustration)
M:  Then how about we lay down with our eyes open?
G:  (sighs and lays down) okay.

I have struggled with sleep my entire life and had high hopes that Gideon would inherit Mac's ability to sleep, literally, anywhere (seriously, anywhere, anytime).  Fingers crossed that this is just a phase.

Brain Explosion

Before bed Gideon told us:

"A bad guy alien has a plan to get in my brain and explode my brain and all the ideas will come out and I will have no ideas!!!"

First Day of Preschool - The Verdict

Another mommy milestone today: the pick up line

I am extremely fortunate that they have organized afternoon pick up in such a way that there are only about 14 kids to be picked up at a time.  I have experienced the public school car line and it was much more stressful than this.

When the teacher walked up with the car in front of me's child and the mom got out and gave her daughter a big hug I was so relieved.  I didn't know if I was going to have to stay in the car (I respect boundaries to a fault) and I really wanted to jump out and grab my boy as soon as possible.  Ellie was also feeling pretty impatient about seeing her boy.

Then, finally, it was our turn!  I leaped out of the car and his teacher said "Gideon had a GREAT first day!"  I thanked her, gave Giddy a hug, and helped him take off his backpack before grabbing Ellie.  He immediately proclaimed "Elwie!" and watching him hug and snuggle that little elephant I was genuinely not sure which of us he was happier to see.  Seriously, it was adorable.  Best of all, as I strapped him in his seat he said "I like my new school mommy!" and I had a How the Grinch Stole Christmas moment as my heart grew three sizes.  I asked him what he did at school and of course he said "I don't memember."  I don't memember is the bane of most parents' lives and the only solution we have come up with is telling Gideon that if he can't remember something than he doesn't get to do it again.  Under threat of no more school Gideon was suddenly able to recall the following:

- He played with Playdoh and dolls

- He did not play with Legos.  Someone told him he would but he did not.

- He went outside to play and he did NOT (stress on the NOT) get in trouble 

- They sang a song in circle time, he has sung it many ways at home since but it always involves singing "swimming, swimming, swimming" over and over again and ending with "they were all fish!"

- He does not remember his teachers' names

- He made new friends, he does not know their names

When I went through his backpack later I found this picture that is now hanging proudly on the refrigerator.  He still says he has no memory of making it but I still like it.

And so the first day of preschool went about as well as I could have ever hoped.  Tomorrow it is back to speech therapy and then Thursday he gets to go to school again (I am so savoring these moments of school being a treat and not a chore).  From now on daddy is going to take Giddy to school on his way to work while mommy stays home and probably eats donuts while watching Good Morning America, umm I mean does the dishes and folds laundry.  It's a good life.

First Day of Preschool

Shout out to the husbandit for writing this awesome sign freehand this morning (because I completely forgot to ask him to do it last night) with me yelling from the other room "we are running late!  we are going to be late!"

Today is Gideon's first day of preschool.  Last night Mac and I were all smiles as we picked out school clothes with Gideon and read "The Night Before Preschool" before tucking him in (I bought that book a month ago and Gideon has been DYING to read it but I made him wait).  I asked him if he was excited or worried about preschool in the morning and he said he was worried.  I asked what he was worried about and he said that "something would happen."  We hugged him and assured him that if anything bad did happen his teachers would be there to help him and if things were VERY bad they would call mommy and daddy and we would come and get him.  He asked if Ellie could go with him and we told him that she could not but that mommy would bring Ellie to school to pick him up and he could tell her all about his day in the car on the way home.  This seemed to do the trick because, for once, Gideon went right to sleep.  I went through the stack of paperwork from meet the teacher again, found a form I had forgotten to fill out, remembered we needed to give his teachers a family picture, labeled the new backpack and change of clothes with "Gideon Mack Edwards" (he wants to be called Gideon Mack), and put the carpool map and tag in my car so I wouldn't forget before going to bed myself.  Mac stayed up late and did everyone's laundry.  It was like we all were starting school in the morning and Mac and I were both a little on edge all evening.

We all actually managed to wake up on time this morning(!).  Gideon started out in an odd mood as he instructed me firmly to leave my pajama shirt on while he played in his diaper (normally he wakes up and happily changes from a pull up to undies by himself first thing).  But his grumpiness soon passed and he was his sunshiney self as he ate biscuits and jelly before getting dressed for school.  I was a little bit of a mess having forgotten to ask daddy to write out the chalkboard sign (I have terrible handwriting) or to actually print the family picture for his teacher.

Forgetfulness aside, we made it out the door on time(ish) and headed off to school.  In the car Gideon kept saying something to me and it took me a moment to figure out he was saying "I so excited mommy!"  and we had the sweetest little conversation:

Gideon:  I so excited mommy!
Me:  That makes mommy really happy Gideon!
G:  I excited for school and my classroom
M:  There are lots of fun things to do in your classroom
G:  Yes!  dolls, food.
M:  And your teachers and new friends
G:  Will we all be together mommy?
M:  Yes, and then I will come pick you up
G: I so excited, are we there yet?

We got to school and were greeted at the door by the secretary who impressed me by remembering Gideon's name from back when she gave us a tour.  Surrounded by all of the kids and parents Giddy started to get a little shy but we walked him over to his classroom where one of his teachers was waiting outside.

bonus belly shot

After putting his name on the board outside the door he walked confidently into his class and was basically completely over us as our presence was no longer required.  Miss Gina told him that they start their day every day by washing their hands (you know I love that) so Mac walked Giddy over to the sink and helped him wash (which he can do by himself but I think Mac was having some trouble letting go) while I put his backpack in his cubby and gave the teacher our family picture and nearly forgotten form.  And then we were done.  Giddy gave us a hug and we left.  I won't lie, it was weird.  When we got to our cars (we had to bring both so Mac could drive on to work) Mac and I hugged and asked each other how we were feeling before getting in, buckling up, and driving away.

Getting down to business 

I was trying to convince myself on the way home that this isn't THAT big a deal, he is only there for 3 hours at a time and only twice a week... but maybe it is.  This is the start of a journey he is going to take without me.  A journey that will enrich his life with problem solving and reading, independence and confidence, and a million experiences that will help him define who he is.  But up until now if his body or feelings were hurt one of us was there, giving him our full attention as we made sure he was okay.  Now it is up to his teachers and other caregivers to nurture him and his classmates with divided attention.  And that is good, he shouldn't be the center of the world, but he is the center of my world and this is hard for me.  Hard but good.  Good for us both.