(Dec 2011) (Needs Pics) Sophia's 2nd Birthday

For Sophia's 2nd Birthday I had gotten 5 theater tickets to a children's theater in Snohomish that was supposed to offer singing and dancing in the seats, aisle and stage.  With the tickets came a DVD and a CD.  We invited Leo to come with us and he happily met us at the Theater. 

The theater was doing a Christmas production of Tim Noah's Thumbnail Theater and had a showing on Sophia's birthday in the morning.  So perfect we went into the renovated church to find the stage still decked out with Christmas decorations, a giant oversized chair, and fun chairs hanging all over the walls.  Because we were early to the play it gave Sophia and Padon a chance to walk around the stage and get really excited (there were Nutcrackers everywhere).  As the seats filled up it came time for us to sit down and Sophia just lost her s**t.  In a no bones temper tantrum, screaming and crying, I had to carry her to the back of the theater and sing the Christmas songs with her that Tim Noah was singing to calm her down.  At about three points in the play the children were invited up on stage and every time I would let her go to run down the aisle and climb up on stage.  She and Padon were really excited to do this but then would stand there with a stage fright stance, mostly just excited to be on stage.  The show hosts let me go up with Padon and Sophia, since they were relatively young, and I danced with them and danced them like marrionetts on stage.  But everytime it came time for the kids to leave the stage Sophia would collapse in another no bones temper tantrum.   Again I would whisk her off stage and back to the back of the room.  It was kind of embarrassing but I was struggling with the fact that she was crying because she was having such a good time that she didn't want to stop. 

Finally at the very end, and about to walk out because Sophia had, had enough of being frustrated and not able to do what she wanted in the theater, I told one of the stage hands that we were going to step out.  I had alerted the staff that we were there for Sophia's 2nd Birthday and that today was her birthday, in hope that they could do something special, but it was looking like it wasn't going to be possible and Sophia was at the end of her teather.  The stage hand was able to grab Tim Noah and Cyndi Lou (?)'s attention, and they had Sophia and Padon come up on stage.  They announced that it was Sophia's 2nd birthday and they sang her a rendition of Happy Birthday.  It was a sweet ending that came just in time.  I was tense that the whole process hadn't gone more smoothly, albeit excited that Sophia and Padon had gotten to sing and dance in the aisles and on stage.  Padon had been thrilled to learn that Tim Noah also knew Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

After the play we went to lunch at a local resturant.  Sadly they sat us in one of the quietest rooms, of this old house turned resturant, with only one other table of people (with not small children) and it made Padon and Sophia seem extra loud and obnoxious.  Leo seemed to just watch in awe with his under-the-breath "Okay..." muttered from time to time.  We managed to eat lunch with Padon exclaiming he wasn't eatting anything, and Sophia spilling her apple juice all over herself and her high-chair tray, and made our way to the car.  Leo presented Sophia, at the car, with her birthday present that just about blew her mind.  A plush kitten with a felt, pink, crown, inside a pink, kitten carrying, purse.  Padon was envious and we tiredly made our way home in time for Nap-time.

I'd like to think that the birthday was successful.  I'm happy to have Sophia's birthday party with family and friends in the summer and look forward to what we will do then.  I'm not sure yet.  Nothing jumps out but we have a lot of time to plan.  For now I'm pleased that, through all the tears, Sophia was excited to be at the Children's Theater, and that Padon had such a great time too. 

(Jan 2011) (Need Pics) Christmas 2011

As Padon gets older he is finally better able to understand his wants and desires.  This has greatly been enhanced with the addition of Netflix and his friends at school.  This year Padon really, really, really wanted what refered to as the Imaginex Samari Castle.  After visiting Greg and Billy Padon equally wanted the Imaginex Batman Cave too.  Luckily for Padon we help Walter's Dad, Leo, with picking out Christmas presents so it was a pretty done deal that Padon would get both.  We didn't lead on, however, that he would get both which backfired a little when we went to do Pickle Presents the day before we went to my parent's house for Christmas Eve.  Padon found the pickle first, in our tree, and with that received a small packaged present from us.  He excitedly said "This is the castle, maybe?!" and then said "This isn't what I wanted!"  when he opened the wrapping to see a fleece Spiderman blanket inside.  I tried to catch what I thought might end up being a downward spiral of dissappointment, and especially before we got to my parent's, where such a statement, I didn't think, would be very well received by my Dad.  I explained to Padon that this was just one of many presents to come but that he couldn't say that he didn't like his presents when we got to Grandma and Grandpa's.  I told him it was okay if he felt dissapointed and that if he really wanted to talk about it, I would be happy to talk to him somewhere quiet about it and he could tell me about why he was sad.  He seemed to understand and off we went to my parent's.

I think in a way this was one of the harder Christmas's just because there were new factors that we had never really had to deal with before.  Padon was so excited to get presents and I hadn't thought that Sarah might celebrate her whole families Christmas on Christmas day.  So silly.  We also split our Christmas presents in half so there are still a lot of toys to open at 2nd Christmas with Leo, which we had explained to Padon.  Padon still seemed to clue in on how Greg had more presents then he did but he did his best to manage the dissapointment, and struggled not to loose it when Greg received a sweet Imaginex Space Robot.  It was all a good lesson to learn on sharing but there is something about watching your kids be sad and dissapointed that make you remember being sad and dissappointed and I hugged Padon and reminded him again and again about 2nd Christmas, and how most people don't get to celebrate Christmas twice with two trees, dinners, and sets of presents, and that I loved him very much.  At the time it didn't really seem to help, but my Mom did, by wrapping a small plastic container of tiny plastic dogs.  It was really the act of opening presents that Padon really wanted. 

Sophia on the other hand noticed Christmas for the first time.  She loved the lights, loved unwrapping the presents and for the first time didn't need help understanding that the present was for her or how to open it.  She was in awe of Padon's Nutcracker and wanted to hold it too.  It was too fragile for her though so I gave her a Nutcracker Ornament that I let her hang on the tree.  The whole bottom layer of the Christmas Tree  is for Padon and Sophia to touch and look at and so she could take the ornament and hang it up again, with help. 

So cute, at Christmas dinner, at my parent's, Sophia pulled up her own sleeve and so proud of herself, yelled down the table to my Dad "Grandpa, Grandpa, I did it, grandpa!  I Did it!"  My Mom and Dad were talking to my Aunt Janet, Uncle Tim, and their two friends and didn't respond to Sophia who in response then started yelling down the table "Grandpa, where are you?  Grandpa, where are you?  I did it!"  Once I grabbed their attention they laughed and sweetly applauded her.

 

Sophia is so funny, too, to have started growling "Mommy!" and "Daddy" when trying to get our attention.  I think I do the same thing to her to be silly and when she does it to us, it makes her laugh and break out into a big smile.  She cracks me up and I love her to pieces.

 

2nd Christmas was also a success and with the giant Batman Cave which Padon guessed right away, because he wanted it so bad, made Leo the best Grandpa in the world.  I think it was the first Christmas that I baked the whole ham dinner with sweet mashed potatos, green bean cassarole, and peacan and apple pie, that everything come out on time and perfectly.  The kids were great and it was relaxing to be able to have Christmas at our house where their beds were just down the hall in case of naptime and a routine bedtime.  

 

(Nov 2011) (Need Pics) Life's So Good You Gotta Wear Shades

Walter and I have tried to be generic with out kids with the intention of allowing them to develope their own sense of self without us pushing them toward a feminine or masculine gender.  We bought Padon baby dolls, and Sophia action figures.  By the time Padon was almost 3 he was very adament about what he thought was the right boy thing to do, and Sophia at 2 suddenly became obcessed with accessories.  She is very particular about what she wants to wear, but bring on the hats, shoes, clips, head bands, necklaces, rings and bracelets.  She loves her baby dolls, most specifically Tiny Baby, loves to push her stuffed animals and dolls around in a little stroller, and wraps them in blankets.

She has also amazed me in her ability to talk so clearly and is so great about using manners and is good about saying "Oh, sorry, Mommy."  when she hurts me.  It is so amazing to me the differences in development with Sophia but I have to wonder if some of her ability to speak so well has to do with school and being a younger sister.  I'd like to give her some credit though and to say that I think she is just a very talented and smart little girl.

(Dec 2011) The Nutcracker

My friend Jen had wanted very badly to take her little girl to see the Nutcracker and wanted to know if I wouldn't like to come along.  Initially when she invited me her little girl, Mia was only 2 and Padon 3.  I knew Padon wouldn't be able to sit through the whole ballet and didn't want to waste the money when it might be better just to go the next year.  This year as December approached I brought up the subject again and Jen was all over it.  I wasn't sure how Mia was going to be able to handle it but I thought with Mia's maturity that at least we would be able to have a special day.  I had seen at Target that they had Nutcrackers for $10 and so I bought Mia a Clara Nutcracker and Padon, The Clockmaker Nutcracker (it looking the most like a Pirate).  They were neat because painted on their base was 2011, so if the Nutcracker lasted, they could be a keepsake of their first Nutcracker.

When the day came to go see the Nutcracker Padon and I dressed up, in similar dress outfits, and I wrapped the Nutcrackers, Padon completely unaware.  When we got to Jen's house to carpool to the ballet I handed the two kids their Nutcrackers to unwrap.  Mia liked her Nutcracker but Padon was enthralled!  I think Mia liked her Nutcracker more because Padon loved his so much and both kids went off to have a special lunch with their Nutcrackers tucked in their arms. 

We went to lunch in Renton at the Jimmy McCales Road House, where when you walk in the door you take a bowl of peanuts, and as you eat the peanuts you throw the shells on the floor.  Padon and Mia loved it and  Jen thought it was the perfect place to go for lunch.

After we went to the theater in Auburn.  Padon and Mia were excited for the Ballet to start and were enthral1led through the beginning.  Padon calling out to the dancers on stage "Where are those boys going?" as the evil brother is running around with his friends and Clara's Nutcracker, and said loudly as he clutched his Nutcracker "Oh, she loves her Nutcracker!  I LOVE MY Nutcracker!".  He was overall really good even as we got about half way through the second half of the play that was largely just dance.  At one point he whispered "This is really long!"  To which I replied "Yeah, I didn't realize it was so long (it was the first time I had seen it too).  I did just about die as I saw the now human Nutcracker come dancing on stage in his Ballet tights, large genital package protruding.  I'm not a prude by any means but I just didn't want Padon to yell out "hey Mommy!  I can see his penis!!!!"  Which, knowing my 4 year old, I didn't put it past him.  I was so relieved for the play to come to an end and we were able to go out to the lobby and meet the dancers.  Padon happily, and unshyly, posed with the Italian Dancers and the intimidating Clockmaker - Dosselmeyer.

Padon was so in love with his Nutcracker that it was a new best friend.  He watched the Nutcracker on Netflix six times, I think, before Christmas, slept with him every night, and had to take it to my Parent's for Christmas to show my parents and to stand it under the Christmas tree.  Surprisingly at the end of January, when we packed up our Christmas decorations, he let me pack up his Nutcracker for next year.  I think he will be really excited to see it again and I wonder if he will want to see the ballet again.  

(Feb 2012) (Needs Pics) Can you hear me now?!

So, when your kid is seems to ignore you with that way that they do when they are tired; instead of yelling "Can you hear me now?!" it might be worth while to take them into an audiologist. Turns out Padon can't hear low octives, really at all, but can hear high ones (tested by pediatrician). He had a whole talking conversation with Walter, while Walter mouthed his questions without making a sound; obviously reading Walter's lips. Crazy business! Initially Walter and I were very concerned that Padon might be deaf with a great gift to read lips but then he started questioning why we were testing him on whether he could hear us or not.  So he could hear.  We scheduled a doctor's appointment with an audiologist, per recommendation of his Pediatrician, and with their specialized equipment learned that Padon hears high octives like he has ear plugs in his ears and low octives like he has two ear plugs in each of his ears. When they did a puff of air on his ear drums, it should have registered as a spike on the graph, instead there was a flat line, meaning his ear drums didn't register it at all. The reason- too much fluid. His inner-ear registers fine; sound just can't get to them. Solution - ear tubes. And it also turns out that Padon's tonsils are very large and his throat small because of them. So large that the doc thinks he probably has sleep apnea and recommended we watch him for a couple weeks. When we go back for a pre-consultation for the ear tubes we will decide whether we will have his tonsils and adnoids also taken out. Wow! I'm a parent!


Follow up:  Walter and I decided after watching Padon that he didn't seem to really show the signs of true sleep apnea.  He snores like any small child we have seen and he isn't hard to work with or be around.  He has always been an easy to please kid and one who always wants to please.  Plus taking out his tonsils would have been a big surgery followed by pain and a lot of discomfort for a week or two.  We decided we would wait and watch him but still have the ear tubes put in and his adnoids taken out. We scheduled his surgery and the morning of dropped Sophia off at school.  Padon, with his Lightening McQueen Christmas Pajamas on, happily went tearing around the corner of the Surgery Center in Mount Vernon excited for his impending surgery.  That's my Padon!  He missed the slight incline to the door however and tripped falling hard into the pavement.  It scratched up his hands and bloodied his knee.  He came crying into the center, where the nurses thought he was crying about the surgery, but after learning that he was crying because he had tripped coming in and because he was so excited they laughed too, and smiled and offered him a spiderman bandaid.  Again tickled that he was in the Surgery Center with all attention on him it was really hard to get Padon to sit still on the gurney and to listen the the instructions that the nurse was giving us.  They removed Padon's shirt, had him putt on a kid size hospital gown, put a thermometer sticker on Padon's forehead, put grippy socks on his feet, took his blood preassure, and took his picture to remember the event.  Finally the Surgeon came in and introduced himself to Padon. And then totally impressed me by noticing Padon's blanket and without asking picked it up as he welcomed Padon to follow him, two of the nurses and the anestisologist.  Padon happily got off the gurney, took Dr. Riley's hand, and they walked away down the hall.  It broke my heart to see him looking so small, his hand looking tiny in Dr. Riley's hand, and Padon so trusting of the people who were about to operate on him that he didn't even need to say goodbye or be reassured.

During the next 45 minutes of Padon's surgery one of the nurses hung behind and talked to us about the surgery and what to expect after.  She said that children's brains become really dissoriented as they come out of anestitia and that it often causes them to cry, scream, yell, hit, and thrash about.  Walter was worried and I felt that sense of calm that I get when extreme situations arise, like when we discovered Padon had a 105.5 degree temperature when he had Rosiola Fantasma.  I just said O.K., feeling that I would just cross that bridge when I came to it.   She also warned us not to let Padon play vigorous sports because the hightened blood pressure could cause the insistions in his ears to bleed.  About this time they wheeled Padon in. 

He was still out but it was a matter of seconds before he started to stir and right away he started to move about like he really wanted to get up but couldn't.  He had an IV in his arm that they said didn't hurt him but I don't doubt if it wasn't very uncomfortable.  Instead of a straight needle it was a plastic tube but he was bandaged up pretty well and beside calling and calling and calling for me, his eyse unable to open, he was pretty pissed that the nurses and Walter were holding him down.  I was hoping that I would get to hold Padon, as my Mother had held me when I had had my ear tubes put in, but as Padon thrashed around, sobbing, and trying to clutch at the bandages on his arms I could see why it was best to keep him on the bed with the railings up.  Walter and I did our best to pet him, hug him, kiss him on the face and head, telling him again and again that were there and that we loved him.  Finally Padon came too completely but the anger about being bandaged and attached to an IV didn't.  The nurse wanted to be sure that were she to need to put Padon back under she could still give him a quick injection and he needed to be able to eat a popsicle before they could let him go.   The cold syrup of the popsicle helped his stomach also wake up from the anestisia and while he typically would have been all over the idea of a popsicle he wasn't having it now.  He adementally refused which surprised the nurse.  She then made a deal with Padon; that he needed to eat just half of the popsicle and she would take the IV out.  Padon took a little bit and she showed him how much more he had to go.  With his fists clenched down at his side, face bright red from frustratedly growling (I wondered if his ears would bleed per the conversation with the nurse) he took one angry look at her and ate the whole popsicle in three bites, down to the part she had marked.  We were all a little bug-eyed at that and wondered if he wouldn't get brain freeze.  Keeping up to her end of the bargin the nurse removed the IV, put a compression bandaid on his arm and we helped Padon put his PJ shirt back on.  We got the 'what to do after the surgery' paper work and Walter carried Padon out.  Padon just sobbed on Walter's shoulder and just about all the way home.  We got to Stanwood before he finally fell asleep, and when home we all climbed in bed and napped together for a couple hours until Walter got up for an appointment and I got up to make the snacks that Padon and I had bought at the store the day before.

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Padon slept for 5 hours which gave me plenty of time to make the jello and pudding he had chosen (surprisingly unenthusiastic flavors: chocolate pudding and cherry and orange jello).  He woke up cheerful, free of pain from his ear tubes and adnoids (supposedly adnoids don't have any nerves and Dr. Riley said he was glad to have taken them out because they had been very large and were a big reason to why Padon's ears had not been draining) and he said that thing seemed loud but that his head didn't hurt, just his knee (from falling). He was a little subdued all day but for the most part back to himself.

Padon layed on the couch and ate yogurt, pudding, and jello, and over all had a feast of soft and easy to eat food.  It was surprisingly anti-climactic.  Walter and I had built up in our heads how big this surgery was going to be with the tonsils and I had taken the whole day off work to be there for Padon, anticipating a day long snuggle while he cried in discomfort on my shoulder.  Happily he wasn't uncomfortable and he didn't need me.  I gave him one extra dose of Ibuprophin, also having bought a new bottle of Tylenol and Ibuprophin, but past that one dose he never needed anything else again.  I wondered to myself if I had blown it out of proportion but thought that it was better that I be prepared then not prepared enough.  My Mom had not been informed to what the Ear Tube Surgery might be like in the end and she was shocked by the tears.  It was a smooth procedure, for Padon, and one that I think he won't have too many bad memories about
I hope that if Sophia has to have Ear Tubes that it goes as successfully for her.  With Walter and my history of ear tubes, and now Padon, she probably will be getting them.

(Oct 2011) (Need Pics)Halloween 2011

I got Padon's Devil costume done in time for Halloween and I impressed myself by turning a 5T dress into a size 2T for Sophia.  At school Padon's age group got to have a Halloween parade and we excitedly put Padon in his Devil costume, cape and Devil horned cape and then remembered that the Josephine Center was affiliated with the Lutheran Church next door, and while they didn't preach about God in the classroom, we didn't want to offend.  Walter checked and they didn't mind and Padon gleefully went around class, without his Pitch Fork, slapping everyone within reach with his tail.  We didn't send Sophia with her costume, I'm not sure why, I think her class, because the kids were so young, were not participating in the parade.

After school was over I beat feet home to meet up with Walter and to take the kids to the Lake Goodwin Community Center for our first Community Halloween Party.  It was completely free and at the end I made a note to myself to plan to give them a large donation next year because it was so perfectly done.  They had musical footprints where every child ended up winning a cupcake, most of the games were suitable for all ages, and when they won a game they were given a token to take the pirate at the treasure table where they could pick any one of the many prizes on the table.  Sophia walked away excited with her bendy monkey, Padon with big bag of candy, and both of them with bellies full of cupcakes, punch, and popcorn.  

When we left Walter really wanted Sophia and Padon to have chance to go Trick-or-Treating, truly, door-to-door.  Having been raised a Jehovah's Witness for 16 years and been confused about what my religion was for another 5 years I still get an instantaneous pit in my stomach when it comes to doing things that were big no-no's like Halloween for example. The shyness is extreme and I felt teary at seeing my kids run up to the doors.  Like they were braver then I was and I was so happy to see them happy.  We drove through Stanwood and saw a group of kids go down a street near the Elementary school.  We parked our car, got out, and followed the group to discover a long street of well decorated and lit houses.  Padon and Sophia went to about three houses before both of them were running to the next excited for more Candy.  They had the Halloween bags that they made at the Pumpkin Patch after party and they were excited to get candy put in them.  It was so wonderful to see them happy and at the end of the street, we went down the next and then called it a night.  It was bedtime and had been a very good Halloween.

(Oct 2011) (Needs Pics)Pumpkin Patch 2011

Wonderful pictures of a day at the Pumpkin Patch.  We were able to share it with our good friend Jen Davis and her littler girl Mia, Jane, Jason, Sarah, Wayne, Greg, and Billy.  The highlight were the two bouncy houses and the sun came out just in time for pictures.

After the pumpkin patch we went back to our house for an after party.  As well as having hotdogs and a Jack-o-lantern shaped cupcake cake I had made some trick-or-treat bags out of white fabric and put in Elmer's Glue the words Trick-or-Treat.  The kids then, covered in smocks I put together, painted with Acrylic Paints ( of which Sophia painted in her hair, and some how sprayed our antique hutch; we got it out thank goodness) ll over their bags.  After the paint dried I soaked the bags in water which caused the glue to swell up and with Jane and Sarah's help we rubbed the glue off leaving the painting on the bags with the words "Trick-or-Treat" in white on them.  They came out great and the kids loved them.  They then got to pick out two pieces of ribbon, any color they liked, of the kind that I had pulled out, and I thread them through the hem to act as handles.  It was great and a harvest tradition that would be nice to keep up.

(May 2012) A Conversation In the Life of a Stay-At-Home Dad

Padon: Um, Daddy. Um, I got a good idea. I sink, could I have sum whip cream on my cucumber pleeeeease?

Daddy: Whipped cream on your cumcumber slices, really?

Padon: Yeah! I sink zhat would be a good idea.

Daddy: Okaaay, because you have an awesome daddy. Let's see if we even have whipped cream.

Padon: Yaaaaaay. I know! I know! We do have sum. It's right here! (opens fridge, moves pesky bottles of salad dressing and ketchup out of the way, points at whipped cream bottle)

Sophia: Yeaaah. Coomber. Coomber. Coomber. Dadhyee. Dadhyee. Dadhyee. Dadhyee. Coomber? Coomber?

Daddy: Yes, Sophia. You can have some cucumber too.

Sophia: Coomber! Coomber! Dadhyee miiiilk, miiiilk, miiiilk? Dadhyee? Mo miiiilk?

Padon: Sophiiiaaaah! You want whip cream on your cucumbers?

Sophia: Yeaaah!

-end scene-

(Feb 2012) Nightmares

Padon has started to have bad dreams.  One night we were driving up Fire Trail Road and I looked up, through the windshield, to see Bats flying in the sky, swooping in and out, catching bugs.  It was so cool, and I enthusiastically told Padon.  This prompted nights for bad dreams for Padon about Bats in his room that were flying around with red eyes and who were eating Walter's face.  We took the friendly looking stuffed bats down from the edges of his curtains and told him that there were no bats to be scared of.  That bats weren't mean.  Weeks later he kept telling me about the bats outside his window trying to get in.  I looked out his window to assure him that everything was fine, to lean back, close his curtains and see for the first time the embroidered shear blue bats sewn on his curtains.  I knew they were there but they were so cartoonish it never dawned on me that they maybe the bats he was talking about.  I said "Padon are you talking about these bats?"  to which he gave me an exasperated "Yeah, Mommy!  That's what I been talking bout!"  I promptly turned the curtains around.  This lead into their being Monsters in his room.  We do have mice in the house, and in the coldest part of winter, what sounds like roof rats.  Worried that if I explained this to him, it would start a whole new set of nightmares I told him that it really was nothing, and that I wouldn't let anything happen to him.  I then made the mistake to let him watch a movie on Netflix called Little Monsters.  A movie about a monster that lives under Fred Savage's bed, you learn that the monsters really are nice and lead a fun inter-dimensional life.  This prompted Padon to plead with me, one night, to lift up his very heavy full size bed and box spring so I could let the monsters out.  I had just affirmed that the monsters were real.  I then introduced the air freshener technique that I had seen on TV once, where you walk around the room spritzing Air Fresheners while saying "Monsters, monsters, go away.  Monsters don't like monster spray."  Theis seemed to help a little but by then Padon seemed to clue in on all the attention he was getting from this and how much longer it took to go to bed.  Not to down play his nightmares, which were real, and were causing him to wake up screaming in bed (heck, Walter's face was being eaten off by bats!!!).  It took probably 6 months for the every day talk of no there aren't monsters, no there isn't anything hiding outside, bats are wonderful special animals, I used to want to have one as  pet, and no you can't sleep in our bed again.  I hear 6 years old is an age for nightmares.  I wonder if it will get much worse.  I think that maybe life stresses have something to do with it.  It's tough business growing older.

(Nov 2011 - June 2012)Things Learned At School

I was so apprehensive about my kids going to and being in child care but it has turned out to be much better than I would have anticipated.  In some way it still hurts my heart that I'm not the one teaching them all the songs that my Mom did and that I'm not there painting with them with paint and glitter, or making clay to bake in the oven.  But with Josephine they get to go on field trips to the big playground on Camano Is., every day is a learning experience with Padon following a preschool/ kindergarten curriculum, and Sophia learning her shapes, colors, and how to properly sit and eat at table.  The social skills that we wanted for Padon went through the roof and where he would only play with us at the play ground before, he now seeks out other kids to play with. Sophia talks and talks and talks and the staff has been hugely supportive.  With Sophia they send home daily reports on her progress, how she ate, what her mood was like, and include little personal notes about her day.  They hug her when she falls and put her hair up in pig tails; which as much a little girl as she is, she loves and won't let you take out at bed time.  Padon's teachers are open to suggestion and work with us to fill the gaps in what we're not able to provide as working parents.  Both Padon and Sophia have become more territorial about their things, and Padon has come home with phrases like *In a sing-song voice* "All be your best friend...." and "you're a poopy face!"  Padon learned that his body is his business and no one else's, and vice versa, as Walter was informed that Padon announced to the Pastor, that comes to the childcare weekly, that he liked his penis, as the other kids were noting that they liked his shirt, and shoes, and pants, etc. Sophia counts to 12 with an enthusiastic "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, a lemon, 12!" and seems to have orange as her favorite color.  I'm so proud of my kids and so glad that they get to go to Josephine three times a week.

(Sept 2011) Life Lesson #3 - You can't trust everyone -Banner War

I want to say that Padon has a great grasp on the idea of money.  He was motivated to be potty trained with pennies and nickles and, when shopping, seemed to understand that we couldn't get [the item] at the store because we didn't have enough pennies, and would complacently leave the store; no whining or pleading.  When he reached about 4 1/2 we started introducing the idea of paid chores.  We like this idea better then allowances.  Padon had saved up quite a bit of money.  $15 we found out one day after he tried to show me his crab bank and open the door of the bathroom at the same time.  The crab bank ended up shattering on the floor and the money ended up counted and placed into a zip lock bag.

Along came Autumn War and we told Padon, if he wanted to, he could take $5 of his own money to spend as he would like at Merchants Row.  He was super excited, but as we walked down Merchants Row seemed apprehensive to just spend his money (I so hope this is a life long skill).  He finally found a flashlight that looked like a tiger and when you squeezed it, it roared.  What 4 year old wouldn't think that was amazing.  And I knew, from seeing them at the store that it was a $12-$15 flashlight.  And at the "oh, you're a kid!" discount he got it for $3 and went home with $2 in his pocket.

When Banner War come along we said he could have another $5.  Again he proudly went to Banner War with his money in his pouch.  As Padon was walking into Merchants Row he passed a Bard playing a guitar and singing.  At seeing that people were dropping money into his guitar case Padon really wanted to give him money too.  I thought this was a nice thing to do and learn, and I said "If you give him money you are showing him that you are thankful for the lovely music he is playing but Padon, you don't have very much money.   Only give him a little, he doesn't need a lot for you to show him you are grateful.  I handed him 50 cents of his $5 - he really wanted to give the man a whole dollar, and as Padon gave the bard his 50 cents I made a point to tell the gentleman that it was Padon's money, that he really wanted to give him his money because he liked his music so much, and the man was so touched.  Kitty-corner to the bard was a merchant that had wood swords, shields, stuffed, animals, and a number of shiny bobbles and kid attracting things.  I always felt stand-offish about this merchant because I felt the toys were over priced and she had, a couple times, tried to sell me on a stuffed sword, with chew toy attached, for way more money then it cost to make or put it together.  You don't sell another seamstress a crappy sewn toy.  Of course her booth captured Padon's eye and it was his money.  He was very taken with her plates of plastic jewels, iron pyrite, and necklaces.  She also had a plastic pirate gun, much like the one above, but even more painted, and the handle was molded like a parrots face and beak.  You could cock the hammer and when you pulled the trigger it snapped forward with a shooting sound.  Padon was in love!  The gun, was, however, $12.  I didn't think he gun was worth $12 (I didn't learn until much later that the gun was a Disney Land Pirates of the Caribbean Gun that they no longer make and was indeed a rare find).  I didn't tell Padon I didn't think the gun was worth $12, what I said was "Oh, well Padon you have $4.50, and that gun is a lot more than that."  The vendor latched onto the fact that he didn't have the money for the gun and said to him, taking the gun out of his hands, "You have 5 dollars, I tell you what, you pick out three of those dragon tears (plastic jewels) and two pieces of gold (iron-pyrite), and one of those pirate necklaces (he had been eyeing them too).  He happily followed her suggestions (his head and shoulders standing just above the table).  I started to see where this was going, and was at a loss.  I have to tell Padon a lot that he can't get things (and not because we don't have the money, because he would like A LOT of things everywhere we go shopping), and this time I told him he had his own money to spend as he liked.  If I told him he couldn't buy anything then I would be "that Mom".  He wouldn't understand why I wasn't giving him the respect to make his own choice (even though he was only 4) and I would have been the ultimate kill joy.  I was totally pulled between my want to let Padon have this moment of spending his "own" money and being his Mother.  By then the gal had pulled out a red fleece pouch with a leather bit hanging off the side, put Padon's new finds in it, tied it up for him and said, "okay, now give me $4" and as he did, she handed him the pouch and said "and this is yours."  It was one of those slow but too fast processes.  He took it just happy, not satisfyingly happy, and said "now I want to get the gun!"  She said "Oh, but you can't.  You don't have any more money and I don't want the batteries to go dead."  If you could have seen his face drop.  Feeling a renewed dislike of this SCA charlatan I got down on Padon's level and said come on Padon, you got some really cool things.  I guided him out of her tent and then got down on his level again, a little farther out of her ear shot.  I said "Padon, I'm really sorry you weren't able to get the gun today.  It was a really cool gun but it was lot of money and while you did get some really cool things I think that she went about it in the wrong way.  She shouldn't have had you buy something without giving you a chance to think about it.  I tell you what, let's go show Daddy your treasure.   I think he will think it is amazing, because you really did get some cool stuff!"  Feeling a little better about what he spent his money on and wanting to show Walter, I could feel the tears in my eyes, and still do while I write this post.  How dare that woman just take a 4 year old's money!  She didn't know that he already had a developed sense and value of money but she has such a distant sense of customer service.  She treats you like a dollar sign and a number.  I managed to catch Walter before Padon did, told him the whole story, and with Walter's heart hurting for Padon as much as mine, he got down on Padon's level and perfectly ooooo'd and awwwww'd over Padon's purchase.  He helped Padon put on his necklace, tie on his new treasure pouch, and applauded him on such a fine purchase.  Padon bounced off to the playground with renewed confidence, and with Padon out of ear shot I made sure that Medelstead knew what the vendor had done to Padon.  They too were surprised and disgusted.  I hoped that this would pass on to others and hurt her business a little.  Children's toys aren't all about getting money out of the parents.

Still not wanting, though, to loose the value of saving for something you would like, Walter and I impressed upon Padon that if he saved his money, he could save enough to buy the gun next time he saw her.  He was very excited to do so and we introduced the chore of taking out the garbage with Walter for $1 a week.  I look forward to Padon being able to walk into her booth and to buy the gun.  It will definitely give him the opportunity to decide whether he really wants it or not.  Oh, being a Mom is hard.

Sept 2011 - (Still Need Pics)Getting Ready for Halloween

This year we went to the fabric store to pick up fabric for Sophia's costume.  I just new she had to be Alice in Wonderland with that beautiful blond hair and blue eyes, and who could get over those chubby legs.  I had a pattern, from my Mom's old pattern stash that was two sizes too big but I felt confident that I could redraft the pattern.  Buying a new spring dress pattern with puffed sleeves and apron was surprisingly hard to find and I wasn't too keen on buying a new $15 pattern for something Sophia may wear only once.  The Halloween decorations were 75% off and so we made a detour down the accessories aisle.  Padon, for the 1st time, was all about the masks.  And strong latex smell, really scary faces, and all, wanted to wear all the masks, one after another.   Sophia was a little into it but one her face was covered, or something was on her head, would begin to whine saying "off, off..." I got some great pictures through it all.

Best of all the accessories, to Padon, was The Devil Pitch Fork.  So glorious in Padon's eyes it needs to be prefaced with 'The'.  He really, really wanted it.  I said "Padon, this Pitch Fork is for a Devil costume.  Let's take a look at the costume before you decide.  Because I don't want to buy you the Pitch Fork unless that is for sure what you want to be for Halloween.  I didn't really mind him having the Pitch Fork but I knew that the Pitch Fork would be just another "sword" and I probably would get hit with it and I wanted the futuristic poke and smack to mean something more than it was on sales for $3.  We went to the pattern section, and front and center was a Halloween pattern rack that had a 4 pack of patterns, strangely that held the combination of angel, panda, dragon, and devil.  I showed Padon the devil and he was in cloud 9.  I told him we would come back the next week to buy the fabric and Pitch Fork with my coupons, that turned out were good for the following weekend and not that current weekend.  It was a long week for him but he was just excited when we went back to get the Pitch Fork.  Second to the Pitch Fork came the Devil tail and Padon was just sure he had the best costume.  I love when making him things brings such huge satisfaction for him.  It makes me feel so special.