Hey, Y'all!

Kindergarten: Check!

I cannot believe Dean is done with Kindergarten. This year has FLOWN by.  While it got off to a semi-rocky start, we ended up having a pretty good school year.  The amount of stuff he learned blows my mind.  He had a young teacher, which I was excited about at first, then pretty unhappy about (due to some choices she made), then ok with in the end.  Dean has always been reluctant to write. As a toddler, he hated to color.  He tolerated coloring, drawing, and writing his name in preschool.  He was a little reluctant at the beginning of Kindergarten, until they started doing a story journal where you (wait for it) got to use your imagination.  You know, a big imagination is one of the things makes Dean so awesome.  Once he started reading, he got more excited about writing.  One thing that did make me happy (which is not a word I generally associate with my opinion of Common Core Curriculum) was that even his homework required at least SOME creativity.  He loved nights when his homework instructed him to "Make up a story about this picture."  We would study the picture, then brainstorm ideas about what might be going on before settling on five sentences that told our story.  We told stories about ants around a swimming pool, a shark named Eli, a turtle named Turnip who had a brother, and lots more. 

Dean is great at math. (Which is funny if you know me...)  He can fly through a page of addition and subtraction problems.  His daily work marks started improving drastically once they started doing actual math problems, not just random counting excercises. His teacher said he was probably bored with the rudimentary stuff, since he did a lot of that in preschool. (we had the BEST preschool.)  I'm glad math "clicked" with him.  Hopefully, that will make some parts of school more enjoyable for him. 

He refused to eat cafeteria food.  Instead, I got up at 5:30 most mornings to make and pack a thermos of macaroni and cheese, a string cheese, a Capri Sun juice pouch, and one other thing, because DO NOT put more than 3 food things in the lunch box!  (I once put in a Starburst as a little treat and he got mad.)  His school serves a fresh fruit or veggie snack out of the snack basket every day. When it was something he liked, he'd take something, other wise he'd stick with whatever I packed with his juice box in a zippy bag.  Favorite choices included Gogo-squeeze (applesauce), fresh fruit, and yogurt raisins.

Socially, he had a great year.  He made several good buddies, including his new best friend Lochlan.  Lochlan's from the NY/NJ area and his mom is a pilates instructor with a degree in theatre. How hilarious that the two NY theatre kids found each other.  He also has a friend named Casey, who is awesome because "She's a girl who knows about Skylanders!"  He and his best bud from preschool, Elise, have remainded pretty tight, despite being in different classes.  She joined our family at the end of school picnic. It was a blast to see these two, who met when they were 3, carrying on a "big kid" conversation.

Probably our best times this year have been associated with After School Care.  I was extremely nervous about sending Dean to after care, but knew we really had no other choice.  Turns out EVERYONE wants to go to after school care!  It's like a little cool kids' club. He had a completely separate group of friends there than in his class, got to know some older kids, and had the best teachers looking after him. His pal Kate, who he's known nearly all his life, starting going in the spring, and the two of them made up games for the whole group to play.  Most importantly, he met Kara.  Kara is a Kindergartener who has Down Syndrome.  She's the first person with Down Syndrome Dean has ever met.  With no prompting, he took up with Kara, making sure she always got to participate when she wanted to, helping her up and down steps and playground toys, helping take care of her if she was upset, and generally, being super sweet to her.  She adores Dean, and though she doesn't talk much, she screams his name every time she sees him. We could not be more proud of his behavior.  He received a special award during the last week of school for compassion and kindness.  That means the world to Marcus and me.

His energy and sense of humor continue to amaze me, and I can't wait to see how much he continues to grow and learn over the summer.

Bring it on , 1st grade.  We're ready.

 

Lifelong Friends

Tonight I introduced Dean to Cheer Bear, my beloved Care Bear from childhood.  I got her when I was 6, the age he is now.  I'll never forget getting in the car in my pj's with my mom, my Mim, and a box of Apple Jacks, and waiting in the Howard Brothers store parking lot.  Once the store opened, we ran straight back to the toys and grabbed the exact Care Bear I wanted. Cheer Bear is the pink bear with the rainbow on her belly.  I slept with her pretty much every night until I got married.  She's lived in the top of my closet since we moved here. I didn't want toddler Dean to find her and risk damage, so she stayed tucked away.  Tonight, we were reading Corduroy at bedtime. If you don't know that book, it's the story of a little bear who lives in a department store. In the end, a little girl buys him and he finds a loving home and a lifelong friend.  I make it to the next-to-last page before crying most of the time. When we finished the book, Dean said, "Corduroy is like Stu to that girl."  Stu is his monkey, really just a blanket with a head. We got him as a shower gift when I was pregnant and Dean has been snuggling with him all his life.  When he made that observation, it seemed like the right time for him to meet Cheer Bear. 

I ran and got her out of my closet and showed her to him. I told him her name and how I came to have her and that I had gotten her when I was exactly his age.  He carefully inspected her, feeling her fur, poking her rainbow on her belly. "Her nose is hard." He giggled at the heart on her backside and smoothed her formerly curly hair, now stiff with age.  "I think Stu and I could cuddle with her."  I let him take her from me, marveling at his gentleness.  After a few curious squeezes, he carefully handed her back to me, and I returned her to the top of the closet.

When I went back into his room, he had Stu wrapped around the back of his neck, which is how he's always held him at bed time.  He thought for a second, then said, "Mom, I don't think Cheer Bear should play with my Angry Bird plush.  They might be too rough.  She's kinda old."

Good call, Dean.

SIX

Dear Dean,

I can hardly call you "Deano the Bambino" anymore, since you're such a big boy. A HUGE boy.  Five was the most incredible age.  You are like a tiny little old man sometimes. Your expressions and gestures are so pronounced for one so tiny. One of your classroom volunteers commented to me that she's never met a kid who talked with his hands as much as you do, and how much fun it is to have a conversation with you. That made me smile.  If only she could see our entire family talk. We wave our hands around so much that I halfway expect one of us to take flight.

You've had a big year.  You finished preschool with flying colors. And you miss preschool.  It was such a magical place and you flourished there.  A lot of your friends go to your new school, but I know you miss the independence you were allowed there.  You're getting the hang of kindergarten, though.  You've made some cool new friends and figured out how to function in a more structured setting.  You still get on the yellow light about once a week, usually for yelling in the bathroom.  You assure me it's because the echo is irresistible.  You're starting to read a lot, which is really cool.  You point out your "high frequency words" every time you see one.  I love it when you go through the alphabet making all the letter sounds to find the one you're looking for. 

You took a long trip with just your dad this year to visit the family in DC. Mommy had to work and missed out.  You were  gone 18 days, the longest we've ever been apart.  I missed you more than you could possibly imagine, but I'm glad you got to go and have fun.  You went to summer camp with your cousin and nature camp and also took swimming lessons.  Here at home, you went to theatre camp at Mommy's theatre.  I loved watching you sing and dance.  You are still absolutely fearless, a quality I hope we can retain.

Your "baby phrases" are slipping away, which makes me a little sad.  You say "yesterday" now instead of "last day." You still call a yawn a hum, though.  You are still so, so good with your hands.  We got you little Legos for Christmas and Santa brought a Lego table. You have barely stopped playing with them since they arrived.  You love babies and animals. You keep insisting that Chutney needs a baby. We need a kitten in this house like we need a hole in the head, so that's one wish that will NOT come true.  You rat yourself out when you've misbehaved at school, which, I must admit, is sort of adorable.  You also told half the family what their Christmas gifts were before we opened them. But it's ok--you were just excited.

You got a good citizenship award at school last month.  Your dad and I are pretty sure your after-school care teacher nominated you because she tells us all the time how compassionate you are. That is one of the greatest things about you.

Your imagination is still so big and so fascinating.  I'm starting to see a lot of myself in you, especially in the way you play.  Since you look exactly like your dad, it's nice to see a little of myself come out in you. 

I'm so glad you've inherited my love for Christmas.  You undecorated the tree several times this year, which was not so great, but also not the end of the world.  You still love to come to the theatre with me.  You have a loose tooth and are getting your six-year molars.  You have the best bedhead in the world.  Your favorite food these days is ham. You sleep in your Spiderman slippers every night.

I adore the person you're becoming.  I like that you still insist on snuggling with me during storytime each night and that you're so forthcoming with affection.  Your personality is infectious. Your dad and I are so proud of you.

I asked what song you'd like for your birthday video and you said, "Elise Mommy Dad." That's what you call "Feliz Navidad." Your dad suggested "Wrecking Ball," but no.  I'm going against both of you and using a song I love that will forever remind me of you.

Happy sixth birthday, muffin.  I love you to pieces.

 

 

Twas The Night Before Kindergarten

Kindergarten.  I remember when he was born, it felt like 2013 was light years away.  Those five years flew by in a blink.  I'm full of mixed feelings as I get ready to pop a backpack on Dean, hand him his lunch box, and send him off to start his formal education.  A part of me keeps thinking, "Kindergarten's not that deep."  But it is. It's big boy school.  It marks the end of what they call "The Magic Years." And, oh, my, how magical they have been.  This boy has the biggest, most vivid imagination. He's so carefree.  I know  parts of those elements in him will start to change as he gets older. I also know that school is a great adventure, where you find yourself, meet new friends, figure out what really makes you tick. 

Today we made our first day of school sign, the one he'll hold in his picture tomorrow morning before we head to school.  we've talked him through what the day will be like and planned what we'll pack for his lunch.  We read a book before bedtime called "Kindergarten, Here I Come," in which Henry the mouse is very excited to start school.  When we turned off the lights, Dean was whipsering, "D-E-A-N" over and over. I asked what he was doing and he said he was practicing because you have to spell your name a lot in Kindergarten. (Guess he HAS been listening to me all summer as I drilled him on spelling his name!)  We went over some different scenarios and gave him some phrases to use for different situations he may find himself in, and we reminded him to be polite and listen to his teacher. And to tell her when he has to go to the bathroom because while it's impressive that you CAN hold it for 9 hours, it's really not that good for your body to do that.

 I hope he will like school.  I hope he will be ok tomorrow.  I hope he will tell me about it instead of giving me his stock answer of "nothing" when I ask what he did all day. 

I hope I don't cry. 

Too late. (sniffle sniffle sob)

Solitary

My guys have been gone for 17 days. SEVENTEEN. DAYS.  If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may know that we take a long trip to visit our family in Virginia each summer, usually for 2-3 weeks.  This year, with my new job, I have no vacation time available for such a luxurious trip.  Since this is usually the only time of year we see that side of the family, it was very important that the guys still go on the trip.

So I've been alone for 17 days.

They'll be home tomorrow, THANK GOD, because 1. I am bored. 2.  I miss them. 3. I'm pretty sure the cat's plot to kill me is nearly complete.

I've kept myself busy and have actually had some very enjoyable times while they've been gone.  I've been out with my work friends and a few other friends I don't get to see very often, which has been nice. i've gotten to know several new places in and around Birmingham.   I certainly have not minded sleeping as late as I'd like on the weekends.  I've made foods the guys don't like for my dinners. 

My routine, however, is practically non-existent.  More than once, I've woken up with dark rings under my eyes because I forgot to take off my makeup the night before. That's something I always do while Marcus brushes his teeth, right before we go to bed.  I've done laundry exactly four times since they've been gone.  The loads are tiny when they're just for one person.  I miss matching Dean's tiny socks.

Today, my last day without them, will consist of cooking, soaking up a few more hours of horrible television (Totally 80's on VH1, anyone?), and sleeping all over the entire bed.

I can't wait for them to be home.

Camp

Today was the first day of theatre camp at work. I am in charge of said camp, did you know? It's true. TIRED does not even begin to describe how I am feeling right now.  I think my legs may fall off.  There are 45 little ones between the ages of 4-7 this week. And this is week one of four. It was a good day, though. No major catastrophes, happy campers (haha), wonderful staff.

Today was also a great mom day for me, too.  Dean is one of our campers.  He had an absolute blast.  I took the time to peek into each of his classes. He was participating and having fun all day. He said his favorite thing was arts and crafts, where they made masks. (His is a Disco Zombie.)  His music class sang "Hard Knock Life" from ANNIE, and let me tell you, if you think you've seen the cutest thing in the world, you haven't, because it is a room full of 4 and 5 year olds singing this song.  I enjoyed seeing him throughout the day and we got to have lunch together. I'm always happy to see him thriving at things like this, being friendly and participating and enjoying himself.  He truly just enjoys being a little kid and I love that about him.

 

 

Preschool--Check!

This person is done with preschool.

On the last day, they threw a big ice cream party. In this picture, he is holding the sprinkles we took, his favorite topping for sundaes.  I was kind of emotional on the last day. After all, these people have spent two years entertaining, teaching and loving our boy.  We have become friends with his teachers and have enjoyed watching his little buddies grow and learn beside him.  I am amazed by how much he has changed since he started this school as a teeny, tiny three-year old. 

With Ms. Kelli, one of the afternoon teachers and, obviously, one of his favorite people.                                                                                                                                                                  We left school that day a little teary-eyed (me, not Dean) and very excited for the next step.  Kindergarten. Good grief.  He's growing up so quickly, but he's definitely ready for a new adventure.

A Mom Blog Moment

Remember when this was a mom blog? When ALL I talked about was Dean? Those were the days. I've moved away from reporting his every move, but I thought he deserved a post today.  I want to make sure I don't forget the minutae of life with Dean the five year old. 

This morning, out of nowhere, Dean started singing HALLELUJAH. (we still struggle with the W for L substitution from time to time, so it sounded like "Hawewujah.") This is one of my favorite songs in the world. I asked how he knew it and he said, "You watch it on YouTube all the time." It's true. I do.

His eating still cracks me up.  From the baby who couldn't get enough broccoli, but wouldn't touch a piece of chicken has grown a boy who will gnaw a chicken leg to the bone. It's actually kind of gross to watch.  He scarfed one down the other night, then considered the bone for a second before asking me, "What's inside a bone?" I told him about marrow. Then I asked "Why?" He just stared at the bone, then  tried to bite it. While I appreciate his vigor, I would NOT appreciate the dental bill if he broke his tooth on a chicken bone.  He tried shrimp for the first time last weekend and LOVED it.   He will cut you for a biscuit or a muffin.

Now that he's older, I'm really starting to see traits in him that come directly from our family members. For instance, he gets tickled like my mom and I do, where he laughs so hard at something that his eyes water and he can't talk. One of my favorite things in the world is making my mother laugh like this, so I'm very, very happy to have another person to giggle with me.  My mom and dad visted this week and Dean and his Grammy spent about 15 minutes laughing uncontrollably.  This morning, Marcus asked me to add Yellow Cheese (Kraft Singles) to the shopping list. Dean and I had picked some up at Publix the other night, and Dean said, "We already got yellow cheese, yo." He thinks, "Oh, shoot" is one of the worst things you can say. If only it would stay that way.

I took him to work with me last weekend so he could see THE THREE LITTLE KITTENS.  He helped me work the ticket desk, welcoming our patrons as they arrived.  He was extremely well-behaved and really enjoyed being at the theatre.  He fell asleep on the way home and took a three-hour nap!

He's been begging for mouthwash for two weeks, who knows why.  I got him some for kids today and we practiced swishing with water before using the real stuff. He did great! The things that strike him are so funny. At least this one's a very healthy habit.

I love this age. He's funny, clever, loving, sweet, stubborn and smart.  I'm so happy to be his mom.

 

FIVE

How are you five? (I'm already crying, in case you were wondering.)

In so many ways, it seems like you just got here, while in others, your babyhood seems like the distant past.  I cannot believe how much you've grown and changed, just in the past few weeks.  Your conversational skills are amazing. Your imagination is the size of the sky.  You're so, so funny. You are becoming very considerate, as you start to understand that your actions really do affect others.  You ask me how my day was and tell me all about yours.

 You love your friends and are happy to see them at school.  Your laugh is the sweetest sound in the world.  I love it when you get "tickled" and can't stop laughing. You try to tell jokes. (Try being the operative word.  "Knock Knock" "Who's There?" "Robin Hood." is not a joke.)

Your fashion sense has taken quite a turn this winter.  You still hate socks, but you are nuts about your rain boots. You wear them all the time. You like to zip your coat all the way to your chin. You'll tolerate a hat and gloves finally.  You tried to bite your toenail the other night, but just ended up biting your toe. That's a mess.

You are so, so good with your hands. I'm always amazed at the things you can make out of Legos, sticks, or other objects.  You draw elaborate "comic books" on the tub with your bath crayons and tell us the stories over and over again.  You've memorized most of your favorite books and can "read" to us.  You adore Shel Silverstein poems. 

I love how you jump up and down and just sort of bounce everywhere you go.  I'm so glad you eat chicken now.  You ordered a grilled chicken platter at Chili's last week, which shocked all of us.  You are quite independent, yet you still need your mommy and daddy.

You are SO into Angry Birds. That will be the theme of your party next weekend. Some of your school friends will be here, which will be fun, and you'll get to show them your room. 

Today, on your real birthday, we'll go to breakfast at IHOP so you can get a face pancake, then we're heading to Build-A-Bear Workshop to make a new friend.  We may even visit the Lego store. (Yeah, we will.)  We'll have Angry Birds cupcakes at home, then Grammy and Papa are taking you on a dinner date to "Bake A Shake." (Steak N Shake)  You've got a big, fun day ahead of you.

Four years old has been my very favorite age you've been. You are absolutely wonderful and I can't wait to see what a great five year old you'll be.

Happy birthday, my muffin boy.

5th birthday montage by me, song selection by Dean. 

Rediscovery

This fall has been really nice so far.  I've had a lighter work schedule, which has given me oodles of time with my guys.  I always love fall with Dean. Fall was the first season we all shared in our current home, so it always reminds me of his tiny 8 month old self, which, besides four years old, was my all-time favorite Dean age.  It's fun to remember him as a little chubby baby sitting in leaves or exploring the pumpkin patch.  He's to the point now where he likes to look at pictures of himself as a baby and ask what we were doing.  I made a Facebook album of all his pumpkin patch pictures throughout the years, this being his fifth Halloween. 

One of the best things about being a parent is the rediscovery of childhood fun.  The other night, we checked out the Disney version of "The Headless Horseman" from the libray and the opening strains of the Ichabod Crane song took me back to my own childhood.  A few of my favorite rediscoveries include:

Reading aloud.  More specifically, listening as someone else reads aloud.  Marcus is the preferred bedtime reader in our house and I love being able to just sit back and enjoy the stories with Dean.  I also like going to library storytime.

Kid foods.  Y'all.  I had forgotten how delicious gummy fruit snacks were.  Dean has recently developed a taste for tilapia, so we buy frozen tilapia fillets, which look like big fish sticks.  They are tasty.  Dean doesn't like things like spaghetti O's, which is weird, but Marcus does.  Also? Juice boxes are the bomb.

Getting dirty and making messes.  It's such fun to let your popsicle drip all over yourself, assuming you can rinse it off in a timely fashion. (Because OMG STICKY YUCK!) It's also great fun to make a huge mess with play-doh, cookie dough, cake batter, etc.  Dean likes covering himself with bubbles when taking a bath. Sure it takes an extra rinse or two, but it gives us a lot of smiles.

Going to bed early.  There are days when I'm down for the count by 8:30. This is a good thing when your small person wakes you at 6.

Magic.  It's everywhere--we just have to remember to look. Kids have an easier time finding it.