Big Boy Days

So, Natty's heading out the door this morning to go to his field trip for preschool (field trip?!) to Boston Pizza. Dan's taking him for the first half, and then I'll go pick him up. I wave and call out, "Have a good time! Love you!" And that stinker... reduces me to a quivering pile with the innocent call out: "Bye, Mom. Love you forever!" And away he flew. I still can't even complete reading that book to either boy without getting all choked up at the end, let alone having Natty off-handedly call it back to me. Who knew parenting a three year old could be so emotional each and every day: I run the spectrum for absolutely frustrated and angry to adoring and doting. Usually within minutes.

Natty moved to a big boy bed Monday night. Big day. BIG. Whilst the bed isn't my dream bed for his first bed, he seems to quite like the futon/single mattress combo. Here's him on the first night:




Two nights in a row now, straight to sleep: no prowling around the room or running out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive enough to believe we're in the clear. There will be battles yet. As for daylight nap time... well, that's a different story. We've got our own little Rainman on our hands. Or better yet, if you've read The Bee Season, he's the eclectic mother with her piles of stolen objects. That's our Natty's fine handiwork. Guess he's been itching to get that closet/hanger work done for some time:




And just so Isaac doesn't get left out (again), here's a couple fun shots of him loving a pair of Natty's rain boots. He asks for them on his little legs all the time. Those busy, busy little leg-il-bees.

First day down...

...and roughly 2500 more to go before grade 12 graduation. But I'll zero in on today and report that we had success! No tears, pee in the toilet, listening to instructions, doing a craft, gym time, sitting through one of the story times (and playing quietly by himself for the other group time), playing with all the boys and girls... He was talking about going from the minute I opened his bedroom door this morning, and as we got closer to the church where it's held, he was quietly saying, "excited! excited!" I was more anxious to leave him than he was for me to go. Of course. A big thank you goes out to Karen who gladly received my last-minute call for a playdate this morning and who helped me pass the morning by, and kept my nervous little mind focused on more enjoyable topics of conversation--and for a change, on Isaac! It was so delightful to just be able to enjoy being with him and to watch him play with/near Lucas. Natty was one content and engaged-in-play little boy when I picked him up. And the best part is, that he can't wait to go back! I think I could get used to this. : )


Nathaniel at home, more than ready to finally get out to the car and GO!


Natty standing in front of the preschool doors ready to embark on a great adventure.


Natty at the rice table; digging right into the action.

Movin' on.

His bag is packed. He might as well be moving out. He's moving on. Bigger and better, Mama. He's got things to do, you know.

His bag isn't full of the usual fare: no, he's got a juice cup marked with his name (it's red); a pair of indoor shoes with new personalized name labels pressed neatly in the soles; and an emergency outfit of pants, shirt, socks and a pull-up should the rigors of preschool be a bit too overwhelming at any point. He's as ready as they come.

I wish I could say the same for me. As I was writing the post-dated cheques, I saw all the months passing me by: January to June. Six of them. That's a lot of time away. In an environment I have no control over. Oh, sure, I know he'll be fine. He'll flourish. (Or at least that's what I'm telling myself to justify his enrollment.) But this is it. The end of Natty purely as having a sense of self and belonging in his family here at home. The end of an era, albeit a short one. But a great one that I have loved with a passion.

This is the end of Dan and I being the sole care-givers to our little boy. For 1278 days, I have watched him learn all the important milestones: how to roll over, crawl, cruise and then walk, jump and run; how to eat (and mighty well for a small person!); how to learn how to sleep properly, to function on a routine; how he found joy in finding his hands, his body, his capabilities; to watch himself begin to establish who he is and to be able to communicate it to the rest of us, who for so long have been trying to tell him who we thought he was; to watch the light bulb go off in his eyes when learning something new or enjoying a great story or joke; to watch his developing sense of self-esteem, especially when mastering potty-training, saying something thoughtful to someone else, or doing someone a favour since he knows that they'll appreciate it.

He is a force to be reckoned with, my boy. I just hope that those who work with him will see that too--will see his sense of wonder and excitement over the simplest things. Will know to push him to the best of his ability; but not too hard please, he's just a little person who needs so much patience, encouragement and understanding. Who will listen to the kind, generous, funny, observant, questioning little words that come out of his mouth. Will see him like I do. Which is entirely impossible. They are incapable of this viewpoint as they are not his mother.

So, Nathaniel, as you bounce off to preschool in the morning (or pretty-school, as you have deemed it), I wish for you so many things. I wish that you have fun; that you find a sense of belonging and purpose within the group; that you enjoy the activities, and are challenged as well. I wish you to make friends, to play nicely, to share and use kind words like you've been taught; and I wish for those friends to do the same in kind to you. I wish that you further nurture a love of knowledge, that you will continue to develop it for many years to come.

But mostly I wish that you could stay my baby forever, and that I could protect you from all the cruelties and unpleasantness that life has to offer, that I could continue to watch you blossom and flourish right here. But that would be selfish of me. And I want the world for you. So, although it is just preschool, the world awaits you, my special little boy. Go out there, stand tall, stick to what you believe and were taught, yet question what you need to, and play hard. I am so proud of the polite little gentleman that you have become thus far in life, and I'm so proud to support and guide you as you develop into who you are going to be.

I love you, my Natty-bum.

Mama.
xo

the little ladies...

A big, hearty thanks to Ms. Shannon, who has all the expertise in this area, for styling both Natty and India's hair this morning. They were delighted that they both matched (thank goodness there are not any real stereotypes that they are aware of yet!) and had fun bouncing along all day--even when we went out to the Muttart Conservatory! hee hee. It was a twisted, fun thing to do. (And, I'll add, Dan thought it was hilarious too. But, probably not if I kept doing it.) They make a pretty little pair.

new profile picture:

Just thought I should point out that Natty took it. He's getting quite an eye, that little fellow. I thought it was a great shot (as great as you can think of a picture of yourself)... including all the "laugh lines." Ah... almost 35. Look at what you look like.

Happy 100th post to me

... and to "the hours go shorter as the days go by."

100 posts. You don't say. I did say, I guess. Who knew there was that much to say? Thanks for sticking with me. I owe it to you too.

I know enough to say that I don't have anything earth-shattering to say today (except that I'm so excited that India is coming over for the weekend, that I am going out to make the ready-prep 12 meal package with SHANNON tonight, and that I will be going to the gym sometime this weekend with ANGIE). Weekends don't get much more fun than that! : )

I will leave you with a photo of my own personal Roomba 3000. Set him up and he'll cover the whole floor whilst you sit and wait. Sweet.



Oh--and Happy Birthday today to my brother, John, my great friend, Steph, and my cousin, Ricky, who all share this wonderful day.

the 1st time.

...and I'm certainly not naive enough to believe that it will be the last.




Thank goodness for a mop-top that will easily receive and conceal multiple cuts.

(One of) The Sweetest Sounds:

One small boy tinkling on one big toilet.

True Story

Dan and I were cooking up some supper (his first of the night, my second). I playfully took our plastic spatula (that has been with us all glorious eight years) and slapped it across his ass as I moved to the stove. Dan's ass proved no match for me: the spatula snapped like a wet towel in a locker room. Laughter and nods of approval were shared. Now thems what I call buns o'steel.

Who knew the vacuum was so much fun?

dust jack-rabbits.

That's for you, Angie. : )

In a riveting conversation on dust and cleaning this morning, I mentioned that we don't have dust bunnies around this place: we have dust jack-rabbits. And boy, do they multiply. Stinkers. Ah, a positive-downfall of the hardwood floors... I still wouldn't trade them though.

I actually have a fire in my belly to clean today! Sweet Jehoshaphat, I know. I've been down in the basement sorting out our "storage" rooms. The cleaning feels great, but having the boys be entertained by that much TV doesn't. Sometimes a gal's got to do what a gal's got to do. No more TV after naps though. So, I should get a move on so that I get the most of the cleaning done before they get up!

And, Angie and I are going to go and exercise in the evenings together. I'm so excited about that! I hope I can keep up with it. Please, chastise and make fun of me if I don't. It will only sting for a moment.

This entry is really going nowhere. Fast. Gotta run.

Well hello there, little firefox.

Whilst Mac is heralded as being the best of the best computers to get, we are finding little glitch after glitch in our daily computering needs making computer-life more difficult for us. Blogging for one. When I used to post on a PC, I had all the options for font, links, etc, at the click of a pretty little button, but on a Mac, I have to enter in all the changes by html...until today. I've downloaded Firefox as our new internet browser and I have many new little easy-use buttons to do such fun things that I took for granted before. Mind you, not all of the ones afforded to the general PC public, but more than Safari offered. Ah, Mac. What ever will become of you in our household?

Aaaaaanywho. Enough computer talky-talky. Happy New Year dear friends. 2007. Man. I remember 2000 like it was a couple years ago. Definitely not seven. Remember wondering if the world was going to grind to a halt for Y2K? That was surely something. Time, time, tickin'.

Did anyone make any resolutions for the new year that you care to share? I'd love to be as prolific as my friend Shannon but my apathy far outweighs much else in life. It's like I've been working like crazy for five months to keep my life together, and now that we've arrived, it takes everything in me to just look after the boys' needs, not to mention any of my own. Cleaning myself? Cleaning the house? Cooking? Paying the bills? Momentous.

But to join the millions of others who have made the same resolution, I would like to be more active. I realize I have a certain level of activity running after a 1-year old (that can climb 12 stairs faster than it takes to wonder hmm, I think I'm missing a child here...) or a 3-year old that is mid-potty training and piddling around like a little puppy. I want to be active outside. For me. To get rid of the mommy-tummy. Frankly, it's embarrassing at this point. C'mon, Jod, you can do better than that. Pull yourself together. Your husband is training for a frickin' marathon: don't you think you can manage to do something outside yourself? Good question. Like the other millions, I'll get back to you with the answer. No promises.

Other resolutions? Ok, I'll try:

*making our bed every day (or at least pulling up the douvet)
*having a shower at least every other day
*unpacking the 25 boxes in our office space. Or maybe one.
*not eating a piece of left-over Christmas chocolate every day
*to cut down on internet shopping (they make it so damn easy!)
*thinking about substitute teaching or theory/harmony tutoring (I'll probably need a 6-month buffer of doing nothing after the move. You know. For wallowing.)
*not to wallow.

That's all for now. Inspire me with some of yours. Anything. Challenge me. Make me think. Inspire me. Anyone?