Magician

I have been writing a lot about Super Gerky these days and not so much about my Magician so this is dedicated to him. He is quite a charater. Laid back, independent, hysterically funny, a bit obsessive and cute as a button is my baby. I just booked his 3rd birthday party with Big Jeff, a kid's musician that he loves but I am starting to wonder what the heck I was thinking planning to invite 20 kids, AND THEIR PARENTS! to my house in the middle of December. The things we do for our kids. I just think he would enjoy that more than going to a place, as easy as that would be. I figure a 2 hour party, 30 minutes for the kids to get there and get settled, 45 minutes of music and then 45 minutes for pizza and cupcakes. I just can't believe my baby is turning 3 already!

Yesterday we were getting ready to have a bath and he likes to hide when it comes to bath and bed time. He usually hides in the same place though so it is pretty easy to find him. Anyway, we were calling him for bath and he wasn't coming. And he wasn't in his usual hiding places. He has a habit of draping himself over the arm of the couch and screaming "help me! rescue me!" Well, when we heard the familiar cry, we figured he was playing the same game. Nope. He was no where near any of our couches. We started to panic a little when we heard him scream "help me!" again and ran upstairs. We found him in our bedroom - he had climbed up on to my dresser and was sitting there, big grin on his face, ankles crossed, just looking out at us. "Hi Mommy and Daddy!" Perhaps it was a you-had-to-be-there moment, but it was pretty funny. No idea what he was looking for up there, or how he got up there, but he was pretty pleased about it all.

They just changed his assistant teacher at school. The teacher that was there was promoted to the head teacher role in another class. She was awesome! All the kids loved her and she really knew how to communicate with them. This morning was utter chaos as the kids were crying and clinging to their parents and such when Ms. Amy wasn't there. The parents were freaking out as well, running to tell the director that this was not acceptable, etc. etc. Well, there was my Magician - he walks into the classroom, puts his stuff in his cubby and walks over to the Thomas toys, ignoring all the screaming kids in his room. I stood and watched him for a couple of minutes then had to call him 2x to tell him I was leaving. He glanced over at me, gave a quick raise of his hand and back to work. I didn't know whether to be relieved that he is so well adjusted or upset that he clearly doesn't need his mommy there. Most of the other kids cry when they go to school, my kid cries when he doesn't. Go figure.

He even got to take home the class mascot this weekend - Casey the Cow. Casey the Cow went out to dinner with us and had to taste everything that we were eating. Then they played Hide and Seek (Magician hid under the table every time and Casey never caught on) and Rock, Paper Scissor Shoot... the second game was not that successful as both Magician and Casey the Cow always chose Rock.

So school is a piece of cake for him, however, if you put his jacket on without buttoning it all the way up, lord help you! It is not acceptable for him to leave the house with his jacket even the least bit open. It took me a while to learn that "stir it up" meant button it up. In fact, the first day of school he was hysterical because the teachers did not know that it was a sin to leave with your jacket not completely buttoned up and did not "stir it up" when told.

I have lots more Magician stories, but for now I need to get back to work.

Trouble at School

And so it begins. I got an email today from SuperGerky's teacher asking me if I have noticed any change in his behavior at home. According to the teacher, in the last couple of weeks at circle time he has been "rocking, stretching, talking to others and himself" and "not stopping his work or talking when she is trying to get the class' attention" and "playing with his milk carton at snack time" which inevitably causes it to spill. Um, is this NEW behavior? Sounds like the same old not paying attention I have been getting at home pretty much since the day he was born. I think maybe the novelty of kindergarten has worn off and is getting bored. He loves his work and his homework, but I wouldn't say he is particularly challenged by any of it yet. It almost sounds pretentious to presume that my kid is too smart for kindergarten, but I really think that is part of it - it doesn't move fast enough to keep his attention. I don't know. I am not sure if I should be concerned, but it never feels good to get a note home from the teacher. I have asked for a meeting with her to delve into the details more but I am not going to get too worried - yet.

Ok, changing the subject..... yesterday, while waiting in line for the bell to ring, Supergerky looks at me and says "Mommy, when is Monday?" "Today is Monday honey, why?" "Oh. I need to bring in a show and tell for Monday." WHAT?? So I scrounge the pockets of my coat because that is all I had to scrounge through (didn't even have my purse which is always a wealth of fun show and tell stuff). Hmm, old bank receipts (interesting to me, I'm thinking not so much to a bunch of 5 year olds), tissues (slightly used), a bit of loose change (not enough for everyone), car keys (I need these to get to work), and AHA! I got it! We went to the zoo on Sunday for pumpkin patch day and they gave each kid an orange yarn bracelet. At the time, I was wondering what they were for, but now I know. It was so that when Magician got tired of wearing his and gave it to me, and I shoved it in my jacket pocket, it would be there the next day for me to give to SuperGerky for Show and Tell! Yep, he could tell 'em all about the zoo. Whew. And my husband thinks being a pack rat is a bad thing. HA!

The tooth fairy

Supergerky lost his first tooth yesterday. We were in the car, on the way to dinner after a long day of apple picking and playing on the farm and he starts yelling full throttle, I lost my tooth! My tooth came out! At first I didn't get it. I thought he was trying to tell me that he lost something and was about to tell him to look under the seat for it. Then when I processed what he was saying, I thought maybe his friend (sitting next to him) popped him in the mouth. It finally occured to me that perhaps his tooth fell out (ok, so I was a little slow on the uptake). He grinned at me and yep, gaping hole on the bottom of his mouth - actually, it sort of matches the gap in his upper teeth so it makes a nice little tunnell into his mouth. Maybe that's how I can get him to eat when he won't open his mouth - the lips are easy, it's the teeth I have trouble with. Now I can just shovel right through that hole! (I'm kidding of course, please don't alert child services on me). The tooth looked like a tiny little pebble - about half a centimeter long. I thought I was going to lose it. Then what would the tooth fairy do?

And speaking of the tooth fairy, she has significantly upped the rate for teeth since I was a kid! I, I mean she, is leaving $5 for the first tooth these days! Highway robbery! But this morning, my bedroom door flies open and a very excited little boy, brandishing a five dollar bill jumps in and yells, "Everybody WAKE UP! I... have.... (pause) MONEY! (with a flourish)" It was cute. Of course, he was so excited that he forgot to help his little brother out of the bed (they have insisted lately that they want to sleep together but Magician has a hard time navigating the steps down out of the loft bed and usually Supergerky helps him). Anyway, he told me he wants to buy ice cream with it. I told him maybe he could buy ice cream with half and save half. He didn't really understand that concept. I wonder if he'll buy ice cream for all of us? LOL I guess we'll see.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Supergerky has really been something lately. A couple of stories:

A few days ago, supergerky was very upset when we told him it was bedtime. He usually goes to bed quite easily, but for whatever reason, this night he claimed to be not tired and wanted to come downstairs and play. He was sitting in his bed crying at one point started saying that he wanted a new mommy and dad. This incensed me as he doesn't usually say things like that. I angrily stormed into his room and told him that that was hurtful and that when I am upset with him that I don't say that I want a new son and that he should be careful of saying things that he didn't mean, but that if he meant that the next day I would take him to the Department of Mommies and Daddies and we would see what we could do.

So fast forward to yesterday, Yom Kippur, a day of atonement and forgiveness. We took the boys to family service and when the rabbi was talking about saying things we don't mean, he turned to his daddy and said "you don't know this, but when I was upset the other night, I said that I didn't love you (I didn't hear that part) and said that I wanted a new daddy. Well, I didn't mean that, and I am really sorry." I cried. What a good kid. Of course, he also said he wanted a new mommy and I am still waiting for my apology. Maybe he only changed his mind about daddy? Hmm..


Supergerky's school is about half a mile away from the house and on days that it isn't raining I like to walk him there. I figure the weather is gonna get too cold soon enough and it's a nice way to start the day - a walk, talking, etc. Well, he has been really lazy lately and the minute we walk out of the house he complains that his feet hurt. I know they don't because when we go to a "fun place" he can walk for hours without ever complaining about his feet. And when I asked him to show me where on his foot it hurt, he pointed to the side of his foot (instead of the bottow where you would expect feet to hurt from walking too much). I know his sneakers aren't too tight - he is just being lazy. ANYWAY..

This morning he starts in the minute we leave the driveway about his feet. I finally said to him "you know why I like to walk in the mornings with you? Because it gives me a chance to spend some special time with my first born. We can talk, we can hold hands and just spend some time together - without the tv, without your brother needing something, without the dog needing to go out or the cat meowing over something, without having to cook, clean, do laundry, answer the phone, read the mail, nothing else, just you and me, together walking and making memories that I hope will stay with both of us forever. That's why I like to walk with you and if you would stop and think about it a little, you might start to enjoy our little walks together." Absolute silence. He seemed to really be thinking about that, chewing it over, and after about 10 steps he says..

"Mommy?" another beat "how do babies get out of their mommy's tummies?" Maybe tomorrow we will drive.


So, thinking fast that I am not ready for my 5 year old to really understand the mechanics of childbirth (this, the boy who still thinks the female genitalia is called a "regina"), I explain to him that with him and his brother, I had surgery and the doctor made a cut in tummy and pulled them out. I'm not sure why I thought that cutting me open would be less disgusting to him than just explaining natural childbirth, but that's the way I decided to go with it. I then launched into more a description of what happened AFTER the actual birth - I told him about how the nurses cleaned him up, and counted his fingers and toes, and brought him over to me so I could cuddle him for a few minutes, and then how he went to the nursery for a bath and to warm him up etc. I told him how his daddy went with him and sang to him and then I fed him and held him and on and on and on. I told him I couldn't get out of bed right away so I held him in the bed with me - and he said "because you had another baby in there, right?" Um, no, your daddy isn't quite THAT good!

Then we talked about when Magician was born - how his aunt and his cousin stayed with him, and then his grandma and grampy came and played with him, and took him to Burger King and watched Finding Nemo with him, Then how the next day he came to the hospital and climbed into my hospital bed with me and we took a long nap together, and he met his brother for the very first time and was so great with him and gentle and held him, etc. After THAT whole story, he said "Mommy, you know what my favorite part of that story was? Going to Burger King." Sigh.